This is Tiger. Tiger is near-and-dear to someone very near-and-dear to me.
Tiger is mischievous. He never met a glass of water he didn’t tip over, tree he wouldn’t climb, or bear he wouldn’t poke. Tiger is also lovable. He snuggles, he purrs, and he craves attention like there’s no tomorrow.
I painted Tiger in his favorite setting. It’s warm and cozy, and he’s surrounded by all the people and things he loves. It gives him such confidence; confidence to plan his next offensive on all that is peaceful. After which, of course, he will soak up affection from the one he has nettled, quite possibly by curling up in their lap or circling their ankles aggressively until they bend down and pet him, at which point he will throw himself to the floor to ensure his undercarriage is not left out of the action.
I think we all know someone like Tiger, whether they are a pet, a friend, or (in my case) a son. As much devilry as these vandals can cook up it is never enough that they will ever fall out of favor completely. And much to our chagrin, they will forever remain the lights of our life; pushing the limit until it is a whisker out of bounds and then just as quickly fire back with such charm the ice around our heart melts. Once more we are left with nothing more to do than shake our heads in bewilderment and thank our stars, for them, and for all the other unique individuals that make our world go around.
So full of such amazing characters, life is truly a wonder. It is an absolute privilege to capture these characters on canvas. Tiger is the original painting to the b-side tiger I presented at the turn of the Lunar New Year. The delicacy of this composition was most important to me. I needed to communicate a big personality in a modest space. I wanted the momma to recognize her cat. Additionally, it’s quite impossible to paint each individual hair on an animal, but getting close is vital to the representation of its coat. Working on the details of physical rendering, and really spending a lot of time on small marks, brings me more satisfaction than I could have imagined. It is the same feeling as I get when I’ve learned something. Staying in one place for a long time, acknowledging its scope, that’s when I’m learning. This is a skill that I find myself transferring to my life as well as my work. It is making me a better artist, and mom.
Thanks for reading. I hope everyone has a great day.
