Tabby Cat Contemplation

5x7 on hardboard panel

I gained even more respect for animal painters after working on this piece. I also went back to a masonite panel on this one, which I haven't worked on in over a year, because I thought it would work for the subject better than a rougher surface. I did like it but I may try a different pose on canvas to get a comparison of how the two work for the way I paint.

This is a portrait of my best buddy. I met him while volunteering at a shelter in college, and he grew on me so much that I begged to adopt him even though I had a few months left before graduation and wasn't supposed to have pets in my apartment. His name at the shelter was Tigger and I got used to it and didn't change it, though I feel totally unoriginal for not changing it now. I mostly call him Roo or one of the other millions of variations on his name.

Years ago I submitted many of his pictures for the Wetcanvas Reference Library so he's been painted by many talented artists and has proven to be a popular subject. The photo I based this painting on is one that I submitted, so you may run across someone else's take on him at some point.

He's got one really interesting personality quirk. He's never responded to me calling his name or using any other method of trying to get him to come out when I want him to, and even treats won't do the trick. But about two years ago he caught a cold, and everytime he sneezed I'd check on him and make sure he was OK. A few weeks after his cold passed, I caught a cold, and I noticed that whenever I sneezed, he'd come running from wherever he was to check on me. Ever since then the only sure way of getting him to come to me when I need him to is to fake a sneeze. I feel bad about it, but he gets rewarded with tummy rubs and really doesn't seem to mind. He's really the best cat ever, and sleeps tucked under my arm at night.