“Bernie – The Hunter”

I’m calling this “done”, more or less. There will probably be a few tweaks, but that’s it for now. I had to rush this one in order to get it into a local show. After this it’ll be back to the plein air landscapes for a while.

Bernie was my very dearly-loved Siamese cat, about 9 years old. He LOVED hunting. Besides the usual mice, chipmunks and meadow voles, he’d also bring home rabbits, squirrels and even ruffed grouse! Sometimes he’d bring home a mouse and drop it in front of Picasso, my elderly cat, then walk away. A gift! Picasso would perk right up, grab the mouse and toss it around (as if he’d caught it!) and then eat it. Alas, one night Bernie apparently became prey. My two other cats miss him.

Today I wanted to add a bit of vegetation to echo the design on the frame. I cut a vine off and set it into a bucket and painted. I had to guess on the color — that vine will be turning red soon.

I stuck the painting into the frame to show you why I wanted the leaf shapes somewhere in the painting. The photo doesn’t do it justice — the leaf motif is very brassy and reflective — and there’s only so much I can do in Photoshop.