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The Magic of Things Lost and Found

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The other day I ran into a magazine that has one of my images in it, safely packed away in my Tibetan trunk. But it dawned on me, that I really don’t have many of the items that feature my art/photography. I sold a lot through Getty Images, but rarely could I track down where the images went. I know there was a photo of my daughter being used in a Germany furniture store, but I never could find out what store. _MG_6858-3

So I set out to find the two books that had my images on the covers. The top one, “The Magic of Things Lost and Found,” came all the way from Italy (in like 3 days post…how??) I think the Italian book is the only one that has the cover photo, because the others I’ve seen a simple and titled just, “Lost and Found.” Anna thinks it’s pretty neat to be on the cover of a book!
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The second book cover that I know about is the ball jar sitting in the grass, with a sparkler going off inside. (I was trying to replicate fireflies in a jar…sans fireflies.)

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The last one, above, is recent. One of my Frida y Gatos paintings in the Skull Sourcebook. I got this book as a sample and it’s pretty freaking thorough. Definitely a lot of skulls in all sorts of styles-I mean, I can’t imagine any other book where my art would be within it’s pages alongside Slayer album covers!

 

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The Vanity

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I have a thing for antique vanities. We used to have quite a few, but we downsized but selling/giving away truckloads of furniture to Fairly Honest Bill in Portland before we moved to PA. We kept a couple, but they’re living on the third floor. So the other day when I saw the neighbors on the corner having a yard sale, the first thing I saw was the antique vanity. It had a glorious large round mirror off to the side. “We don’t need it.” I said to my daughter who was in the car with me. We didn’t…not really.

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“Bedtime Rituals”

But I wanted it. I wanted it so much that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I drew out a quick sketch for my next painting, which just happened to have that vanity in it._MG_6816-4

So when my Mother went out to pick up lunch, and came back immediately to tell me about a piece of furniture we needed, I knew she was talking about that vanity. I said, “It’s the vanity, isn’t it?” She said, “IT’S ON THE CORNER, FOR FREE!” I jumped in the car and we drove up the hill to the corner and jumped out. They couldn’t sell it at the yard sale, so not wanting to bring it back into their house, they put it out for free! It’s beautiful. It’s not in perfect shape, the veneer has seen a much better day in some spots, but I honestly don’t care. The drawers are solid and the mirror is amazing. =)_MG_6803-3

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Sleeping Ginger, Paper Cranes

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“The Paper Cranes”

-Painted with Golden acrylics.
-11″ x 14″ Studio wrapped canvas
-Topped with two coats of gloss varnish.
-Signed, titled, and dated on the back by me!

When cats dream, they dream of some exciting things! =)

Painting inspired by my portrait, “Sleeping Puddy, Paper Cranes.”

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Willow below,  showing me how cats really jump. =P

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May the 4th Be With You

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Pennsylvania Primaries Today!

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Happy Earth Day

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Goodnight, Puddy Cat

Fourteen years ago we found this beautiful ginger kitty outside an abandoned house in snowy southern Oregon. There were several cats around that house, but they all seemed skittish or feral. Neighbors said they’d seen the fluffy orange cat in the area for years, but that he had no home. We put food out and my Mom would call, “Puuuuddy, Puuuuuddy cat.” He was the only cat who would come to her. When we learned he was declawed, we couldn’t leave him outside, so Puddy came to live with us. Today Puddy is going to his absolute forever home, as he’s become so old and frail, and his hypothyroidism is beyond manage. Our hearts are broken but we’re forever grateful for the many years we had with Puddy cat. <3

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Let’s Play Outside!

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“Let’s Go Outside!”

-Painted with Golden acrylics.
-Approx. 10″ x 7 1/4″ x 1″ Piece of pine
-Topped with two coats of gloss varnish.
-Signed, titled, and dated on the back by me!

Little Ally wanted to play outside, and so did a couple of the cats! Together, they figured they could open the mudroom door. =P

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Based off a picture of my daughter and Rosebud kitty, when it was too cold to play outside.

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Cats and Boxes

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“Best Bed in the House”

-Painted with watercolors
-Approx. 10″ x 7 1/4″ x 1″ Piece of pine
-Topped with two coats of matte varnish.
-Signed, titled, and dated on the back by me!

Oh silly cats! No matter how beautiful and fluffy our beds are, they really would rather have a plain old cardboard box. This family loved their simple box!

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Merlin really loves boxes, and is usually the first one in the house to get inside a box.

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Claire only agreed to the kissing booth because she could sit in a box. =P

 

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Portrait of a Ginger Cat

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A Portrait of a Ginger is painted after my Puddy cat. He’s so old these days, maybe 15-18. We never knew his age for certain. We found him one snowy day in Klamath Falls, Oregon. There was an abandoned house on the property next to a house we just rented. Lots of cats lived there, they came and went, and we’d leave food out for them. One day, with a plate of food in hand, my Mom called out, “kitties! puddy!” and this super fluffy ginger cat came running. He was the only one who came to us. We soon found out someone had declawed him and dumped him.

We asked the neighbors around the area if they knew who he belonged to, but no one knew. We asked how long he’d been out there, and most people said they’d seen him for at least a few years. We took him in. That was 14 years ago. Puddy has since lost the majority of his fluff, and is so thin these days, eating about 5-6 plates of food throughout the day (small amounts really.) But he’s still as playful as a kitten! I thought it was definitely time to paint Puddy’s portrait. =)
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Photo of Puddy from just the other day. <3