Cat 20

Cat 20.
Acrylic on Masonite. 20" x 16".

It was time to try a vertical format. Throughout the day, Lizzy follows the patch of sun as it moves around the side of the house and here she is on the floor at the back door.
I was attracted to a strong direct light source and long shadows and particularly liked the contrast of the green floor mat with her orange undertones. I set this aside for a while then returned to it later.

I tried a new approach (for me) building it up in thin layers of transparent washes, letting each dry before applying the next. I found the angle of the tail bothersome. It looked fine in the digital image, but didn't read right in the painting. I changed the angle of her tail, added texture on the floor mat and a color pattern to the vinyl floor, all applied with thin, semi-transparent layers. This resulted in a nice surface luminosity.