Dogs and Cats are a special gift

 

 

Dogs and cats fill a special place in our lives. Dogs are wired to give back. Justifiably called ‘man’s best friend’. And cats. Well cats offer us a more complex relationship. Winston Churchills quote was “Dogs look up to you and cats look down on you. But pigs! Pigs look you straight in the eye.” Well we do not have a pig around here – but we have a Cat and Dogs who conform to this rule entirely.

Our dogs have always held a special place in our home. Especially when it comes to The Watercolour of The Day! Very soon after starting this process my wife and children learnt to say “No” when I looked for a model. That is when I started painting fruit, dishes in the sink and technology. And on those evenings when technology and kitchen scenes were less attractive I sat on the floor and painted the dogs. Though they were not always cooperative. Sometimes I had to put on my BIG voice. Though of course not even this was a guarantee.

Here is a gallery of my work on the dogs. The first is a commission I have just completed. This is Sooty

Watercolour of a dog on the beach and Table Mountain
Sooty on the beach in Table View
watercolour painting of a dog in a laundry basket
Sooty does like to snooze in the laundry basket

 

This is Luna, Luna the Woof, who inserted herself into our lives a few years ago:

And here are some watercolour paintings of Sophie the Woaf, our foster failure. I remember waking up in the night and looking down at these little eyes shining in the dark. Yep, I lost that stand. And I knew – this doggie was not going to any other home. She is such a pleasant companion.

And here are watercolour paintings and Mia who was also such a nice little dog:

Sprocket was a bouncy little Jackie/Foxy. In some of these watercolours he watches me as I paint. These were the ones in which he wanted to turn over and stretch out and I made him go back to his starting position. In the ones where his ears are pricked up he is listening to hear what happens in the kitchen – the venue of good things during the post-dinner clean-up.

Here is Nahla. Such a strange dog. She is very powerful. And she refuses to be brushed, and hates being bathed. And she walks like a camel. Really both left legs then both right legs. But when she wants, she enjoys a good ear-rub. Here are my watercolours of Nahla:

Finally here is KitKat. KitKat was also a rescued animal. She is very nice to have around although she just sleeps all the time. Which of course makes her a good subject for watercolour.

So this is the pets page. Each with its own unique character. Each a pleasure to capture in watercolour.