Cat 8

Cat 8.
Acrylic on Masonite, 12" x 12".

Lizzy in the sunny dining room window, on a cold winter day. There is a lack of color here in the northwest coast region during the winter. Outside, the world is shades of gray, with very little contrast. Gray sky, bare gray tree trunks and a perpetual fog layer that grays down the evergreens. It's a good thing I like gray.

I started this painting in all grays which served to get my focus more on light source and contrast, as this has been a bothersome point for me. Later I introduced some areas with more color.
I became very interested in the ears, and the way the light illuminates them through the thin structure. I like the limited color palette and the loose directional strokes that imply structure without getting detailed. The softer edges are much more successful in expressing the subject, and it retains some hard graphic elements. Interesting direction.