Catnaps and Art on a Rainy Day

All of my cats are napping on this cold, dreary
rainy day! Brody, the orange kitty, is out of sight
under a book shelf sound asleep.

Polly is very comfy in her basket lined with fleece.

Ellie May loves my old jacket that I leave out for
her at all times!

I think this portrait is nearly finished, will have
to leave it and return with fresh eyes...sometimes
just a few more details are needed.
Now on to the next one...

Oh, Brody is now awake and
downstairs on the couch!

Cozy Night

Brody found the polar fleece blanket placed
on the couch tonight...you'd think it was winter!
Sweet dreams!

A Gray Day to Spend Painting Inside

That's Ellie May watching from the studio window
this morning as I walked down the path to work
in the studio with her and also give her breakfast!

I love seeing her in the window watching
over things!

Been working for days on a portrait of this beautiful
dog from New York and it is finally taking shape.
Much subtlety is involved to capture the essence of
this loving pet. Hoping to finish it soon.

Polly's Baskets

Polly came to live with us as an
8 week old kitten... she was so tiny she
could fit in the palm of your hand and
also in a very small basket!
Since that time she has always loved
baskets and I have loved painting her
in them!
You can see more about Polly and the other
dear ones here.

Polly's Portrait

Polly is a wonderful cat model...
I've been drawing and painting her since she
was a tiny kitten in 1994. She may be a part of a
special book project I've been working on with
the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust.
Stay tuned for more news about that...

This evening Polly did her favorite thing,
she sat upon 2 pillows on her Dad's lap
and saw herself on the blog and felt
the hum of the laptop, like a big purring cat.
Bliss!

Bird Bath

A group of very round little sparrows were frolicking
in the sun and taking turns at a bird bath in the dirt!
They were adorable!

Buffet Dining

We have made a shelter and restaurant
for our resident red squirrel. The
menu consists of pears, apples,
sunflower seeds, hazelnuts and pine cones!
Looks like the pears and sunflower seeds
are her favorites.

Meet Jackson and Violet

D and I stopped by the Budget Box in Kennebunk this afternoon to
browse and bumped into someone we know who works there.
She wanted us to see something...so we peeked around the corner of
a clothing rack and there was a new addition to the shop,
a cage from the Safe Haven Humane Society.


That's how we met Jackson and Violet.
Jackson (above) is very friendly and was reaching
out to touch everyone who was within his reach!

When Violet looked into my eyes, I melted.
Wish we could adopt another kitty but realistically I know
we can't, but I have a feeling I'll be dreaming about her!

Sleeping Gulls

Felt like winter today and in the late afternoon the gulls
had gathered in great numbers at Mother's Beach, Kennebunk.
We were surprised to notice that quite a few were sleeping!

Adorable Red Squirrel

This morning we observed this
young red squirrel who lives in our
yard. We have left apples, pears and
assorted nuts for her and her sister. She
seems to really love pears!

We're hoping they can store enough food to
carry them through the winter. D is considering
building them a house.

You can read more about how they came
to live here and their 2nd day of exploration.

Meanwhile, another observer
appeared a bit concerned.

Brody is one of our house cats and
keeps an eye on things from the
porch and windows.