New Painting! Caterwaul.

Could I resist putting my sweet little Bilbo into this new series? Obviously not. She's not a bird, but given the effort she puts into bursting through the bedroom window of our apartment, maybe she thinks she is. We fitted the screen with lattice to prevent any accidental flights. I even have the window sill filled with plants, much to the detriment of the plants, for they do not stop the cat when the cat is able to simply push them off the ledge. Will I learn? I will not learn. And the pigeons! How cruelly they taunt her outside from our window.

So then this piece fits within two different series' I'm developing - these Klimt-inspired pieces, and portraits of Bilbo.

I know there'll be more. What they will be, I know not yet, but this annoying little cat is the apple of my eye. I don't know how it happened. I assume brain parasites. I assume this is how I become attached to anyone, really.

OK, now two words about this new piece. It's the first one to have a cross shape in the background. The choice to do this was because of the reference photo I used for the body. Clara Rockmore, one of history's most integral theremin players. When projecting the linework onto the canvas, there was a huge gap up top, which would have felt too empty, even filled by pattern. I added the cross shape to break up the eyeline, then echoed it into the pattern of the planes in her clothing. I'm very happy with the overall flow.

Clara, I chose because her poise struck me the most, but also because of her involvement with the history of the theremin. She was one of the earliest adopters. She had a genius for music, having excelled with the violin until elbow problems (likely due to childhood malnourishment) forced her to stop playing. The inventor and she were so close, he even had asked for her hand in marriage. I love little history bites. They make me feel like I'm part of the story. We all are, but it's nice to actually feel it now and again.

Here she is:

And an angle to see maybe some of the iridescent colours shining. This piece is a little more muted.

OK, back to work. We have to go pick up more lumber today. We miscalculated how much we'd need for these gardens. Such is life. Fortunately, what we need is available, and even though we live in Toronto, Ontario - Canada's butthole, thanks to current government and pandemic conditions - we can go pick it up curbside. Gonna be a labour intensive day. Hopefully can still get a couple hours of painting in.

Stay well out there!