Cats

It's easy to see how I could possibly be influenced by cats. I can't ever remember a time when I didn't have a cat. There were several that came and went during my childhood and young adulthood. Millie, Twiggy, Crybaby, Gandalf, Rosie, and Phyllis were notable kitties (Gandalf was so hateful). Dr. Fluffy is our current and most educated kitty; she's been the cat we've had the longest and she runs the place.

We adopted her from the animal shelter prior to covid where she was brought in as a pregnant stray. It took some time for her to get used to being in a loving household instead of out on the streets, and didn't quite understand that she didn't need to gorge herself on food anymore. We thought she was doing well adapting until the first shutdown during the pandemic, and then she was incredibly miffed at so many humans being in her house all the time. She's slowly gotten over it and has blossomed into a very loving, caring cat.

In between her sunbeam naps, she monitors where everyone is in the house at all times and makes sure we're all in our right spaces at the end of the day. When she comes to visit me in my studio, she's very vocal and always hops in my lap or sits beside me while I work. 

She's my first greeting and my last goodnight every single day.  

It's hard not to let her presence influence my life. I have a "!cats" command on my Twitch stream where everyone can have their own on-screen cat, and well as a "Go get Dr. Fluffy" channel redeem so that the stream chatters get to visit with the cat. And it's not just on Twitch - I paint cats, too.

The oil painting of Frida Katlo (above) is still a work in progress. I hope to finish it once the 2025 vendor season winds down. I started it when I had a blank moment in my schedule. Soon I'm sure I'll be able to take a breath again and will get out all of my paints.

This set of earrings (right) was so fun to make; it gave the impression of a staff portrait in a dark, shadowy academic office. The base "canvas" was polymer clay that I baked and sanded for a nice painting surface. I used my DnD mini paints and paintbrushes to create every fine hair and whisker. I only made one pair of these earrings that I sold to a cat-enthusiast at the Farmer's Market in July. It made me happy to know they were going to a good home. 

This necklace (left) was a surprising commission for me. I had posted the earrings on social media as more of a "look at this silly thing I did," not realizing that people would be interested in having their own pets painted on jewelry. 

Ah! I'll need to end my ramblings for now, because a little kitty cat just trotted into the studio yelling for a treat again.