December 9, 2024
Time has been fast-forwarding these last few weeks, or so it seems! It is as if I barely have time to open my paint-tubes, and poof, another weeks has gone. ‘t Must be the season.
Looking ahead at the coming weeks, I will not be posting as many new works as I have in the last little time. I am traveling to my native country for a fairly long time due to family circumstances and, even though I am taking some paint supplies with me, I am not sure how productive I will be. I could use some prayers, if you feel like it… My end of year promise to you is that after today’s post, there are 2 more coming. I cannot show them right now, even though they are ready. Reason: they are Christmas presents for loved-ones… So keep checking back to be the first to see them once they are online!
For today I am presenting ‘Roetje’ (‘rooh-chuh’ for all you English speaking folks out there). In Dutch, this name is a wordplay on her black colour… This was the second cat that chose me, after I left my childhood home in 1980. The first one was ‘Macsy’ and I am sure I will one day paint her as well. She never came home after I had had her for five years or so and it took me a while to get over her loss.
When the stillness of the house was starting to get at me, I went to the local RSPCA and found her. A neat tuxedo female, 3 months of age, that was housed in a cage that was surrounded by tabbies. She stuck her paw through the door as if to say: “Pick me!”. And so I did.
She lived with me for 16 years. If you want to know more about her story, click on ‘Feline Frenzy’ in the main menu or here in this article and find the page named ‘My Cat Parade’. ‘Roetje’ was one of those cats that truly become one with their owner. I could put her on my shoulder and walk everywhere with her. When there were strangers in the house, she would observe them with her yellow eyes and she made some of them really nervous. She was not a short-hair and not a long hair, she was in between.
This painting was a nice challenge for me, because not only did it contain a cat portrait, but some still-life objects as well. Still-life is not something I am usually into, but I figured I’d give it a try. Enjoy the result!