655 Little Finch

Little Finch

oil on canvas

8x8"

$160

     We love the birds that come to our bird baths, especially the ones who turn to give you a sardonic smile. We laugh when they splash wildly and happily in the water. This one is saying, "Doesn't take much to amuse you, does it?"

 

642 Resting Deer

 Resting Deer

oil on canvas

16x12"

$422

     I looked out and there she was under my window, looking right at me. She hung around while I got my camera and then lingered even longer as the morning passed. I left her alone to let her rest awhile.

Molly Meets the Reindeer

 Molly Meets the Reindeer

Colored Pencil on Paper

about 8x10"

NFS

     Around the same time I made my little book, But Not So, I drew this image. Long time ago. I did not have internet readily available then, and I did not know how a reindeer's antlers went actually. I consulted lots of books and I think I did an honest job. It was interesting to learn that the brow tine that goes down the center of his face is only one. It is not a case of a symmetrical pair of antlers.

     I used Piper and Keely from But Not So as my model for Molly. Molly was just as pretty, but I felt that a more recognizable breed was called for here. The image is in honor of Molly, a very good girl.

You can use the link below to buy reproductions of this image from Fine Art America.

https://1-cheryl-wilson.pixels.com/

632 Murray

 Murray

oil on canvas

8x8"

$140

     When I began Murray (who lives with Georgette and Elizabeth), I thought maybe I would not finish it because the colors were so neutral. Where would the point of interest be? But as I continued I found him just so beautiful, and now I love the neutral colors. They are beautiful too.

630 Georgette

Georgette

oil on canvas

8x8"

$140

     Georgette belongs to my friend Elizabeth who I met through Zentangle. We get together regularly with others to tangle. Can you really say a cat "belongs" to someone? If not, then Georgette lives with Elizabeth.

     

607 Deer Gaze

 Deer Gaze

oil on canvas

6x12"

$158

     Although the whole family of deer were in the yard, lying about, they would not let me get close enough for many good pictures. I have moved the bird bath in hopes of luring them closer so that I can have more of a clear shot at them this year.

611 California Quail

California Quail

oil on canvas

6x6"

$80

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

How Emily Dickinson expressed the inexpressible!

I think paintings can be like poems. I have recently learned that James McNeill Whistler thought of paintings as musical compositions. I suppose all these means of expression are ways of making connections with others. I hope that is true.

608 Allison's Kitty

Allison's Kitty

Oil on Canvas

6x6

$80

     I love cats and love to paint them. This one belongs to Allison and is so very black. It was surprisingly easy to paint his blackness. I used ultramarine blue and transparent oxide red to get the deep, deep black. The white catchlight against the black pupil really makes his eyes live. It is fun to save that until the end. It is like turning the lights on. Great cat.

598 Brother Squirrel

Brother Squirrel

oil on canvas

8x10"

$176

     This squirrel has a cute little face all full of such innocence, but his hands have dangerous claws. He must need them in the big world where he is so small. Also he is fast. Davy chased him one day and did not catch him. Thank goodness!

 

592 Monte and Keely

 Monte and Keely

oil on canvas

12x12"

NFS

     How hard it is to lose a loved one. When our yellow lab Keely left us, we had Monte, a pup mix, to help us through the grief. Now, years later, Monte is gone and we have no new generation to comfort us. 

     He loved Keely and I always treasured this photo of them together. I painted it and I am pleased with it, but it was hard.

590 Fox Squirrel

Fox Squirrel

oil on canvas

8x10"

$176

     When we moved to town, we made a new friend, the fox squirrel. Where we lived before we had gray squirrels and Douglas squirrels (so cute!).  We think this guy is pretty cute too.

     The canvas had a mishap that affected the surface quality. I had put it in the freezer to keep it fresh until the next day to finish it, and the freezer breaker switch flipped and the freezer defrosted on my canvas overnight. I thought it would be easy to repair, but it was not. The marks still show. I have decided to accept them.

581 Eli

Eli

oil on canvas

12x9"

$216

     Eli lives at Animal Ark in Reno NV. His ears are very short because they froze off before the good people in Reno could rescue him. I took this picture of him considering a reddish fruit. I think it was a carrot, but since I do not paint carrots very well, I turned it into a tomato. I hope it is true that bears eat tomatoes. If not, then this is an example of artistic license.

574 Peeking Deer

Peeking Deer

oil on canvas

16x12

$384

     It was pretty cute. This one was standing behind the tree and peeked out to look at me when I took his picture. He was coming in to get a drink at the birdbath (the one that got broken when we moved). Now we have a new birdbath and I am hoping for visits from our new neighbors, the family of deer that lives here in the woods near us. I need fresh material.

571 Madison B

Madison B

oil on canvas

12 x 12"

     I do not do commissions. I have said it before and I say it now. But when I saw Madison, I knew I would make an exception. She struck me as truly exceptional.

     She did, however, remind me of why I do not do commissions. First, she is a brown dog. How to make the brown look beautiful? Then there are her white spots. How to include them without it looking stupid? And I never would have been able to reproduce her spots and not someone else's spots. So leave them out.

     Her eyes though turned out more easily. I did work on them quite a while and used all the tricks in my art bin, but I did not find them to be problematical. I hope her family agrees with me.

     

570 For Julee

For Julee

oil on canvas

12x9"

     Julee did a big favor for my sister when she needed some serious help after her hospital stay. As a way of saying "thank you," my sister asked her favorite artist (me) to paint Julee's adorable dog as a gift. Here is the little darling, and, as usual, I fall in love with the subjects I paint.

564 Deer Nibbles

Deer Nibbles

oil on canvas

11x14" 

$308

     We love the deer, but they eat EVERYTHING! I caught this young buck right in the act.  He looked at me as if to say, "What?"

548 Lola

Lola

oil on canvas

7x5"

$100

     Lola, beloved kitty. Prettiest eyes in the whole world.

541 Deer in the Forest

Deer in the Forest

oil on canvas

12x12"

$288

     Getting the black really black for his eyes and nose is a surprising combination of prussian blue and transparent iron oxide red. Alchemical magic I guess. It also works with ultramarine blue.

     I liked the way his face and long throat showed up in contrast against his body as he looked over his shoulder.

534 Golden Girl

Golden Girl

oil on canvas

16x12"
$384

     This delicate creature is awaiting adoption at the Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Center in Reno, Nevada. She looked straight at me and my camera as if to pose. I loved her right away, but I am in no position to be giving my heart to a horse, so I remained all business and came home with a few good shots for studio work.

     For this one I aimed for her long, slender grace in gold in the key of green.

Shy Buck

Oil on Canvas

16x12"

$384

 

     My photograph of this deer shows his full body at the edge of the woods as he peeks out looking at me. There was something about the mood of it I knew I wanted to paint, but I did not know how to compose it. I wanted it to be special because I felt he was special, and that made me afraid to begin. After more than two years I have finally put brush to canvas. I think he was ready at last to be painted. I love him.