New. Balinese Cat is Portrait 5 of 100 Little Portrait Paintings
Portrait Painting 5. 100 Little Portraits 6" x 6" oil painting . Cat portrait. Copyright Christine Montague 2011
A new visitor in my studio at the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre, upon perusing my work, commissioned me to paint this lovely little pet portrait of a Balinese cat as a surprise Christmas gift for her spouse. This 6″ x 6″ feline portrait was at the opposite end of the scale to the 5 foot tall cat portraits I had created earlier in the year.
It surprised me at just how much I enjoyed painting at this small-scale. Usually,I like to paint large-scale, and larger than life. Also, I love blue, and have discovered painting blue actually makes me feel happy . So those big blue eyes, and the blue background were a joy to paint. (Do you know that looking at landscape paintings helps ease symptoms of people suffering with SAD, seasonal affective disorder).
The portrait charmingly sat on a decorative easel while waiting for pick up. I easily imagined looking at that dear face daily on a table beside a favorite chair. Mind you , a painting of this size can hang by itself, or in a grouping.
The client was quite moved by the finished art, which is always my biggest reward. The little cat face was lovingly nestled in a gift box. I am certain its recipient never guessed at what thoughtful a gift he was about to unveil.
