Tuxedo Cat Original Oil Painting by Diane Irvine Armitage

Today's painting of a tuxedo cat from the local shelter is painted bigger and looser than usual and I like the freedom of really splashing the paint on.  It is an 11 by 14 inch oil painting on gessoboard.  I love the graphic black and white design on a tuxedo cat, so I may paint more of them.  Also, my cat Lou is a tuxedo gal and she inspires me every day.

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.  Thanks for looking!

Happy Customers!

Sure has been a fun year painting!  I want to thank everyone that has said kind words about my painting progress!  I am very thankful for all of the people that bought paintings from me, my cats for posing for me, my dad for great art advice and an extra thank you to my sister Nancy for promoting my art wherever she goes : - )

Here are a few happy customer stories ...

I painted a picture of my Lou, doing her daredevil act, walking along the ledge of an antique chest I have and it was one of those personal paintings where it is of my cat, my furniture, and I'm not all that sure there will be an audience for it.  But I posted it to ebay anyway and it sold!  Well, I found out why, when I got an email from Phillip in New York and he sent me a picture of his look-a-like tuxedo cat, also in the act of daredevilry!  So here is the painting and then the photo sent from a happy customer.

Another success story was when my sister Nancy wanted to do something nice for her friend Nita in New Orleans and Nancy asked me to paint a picture of Nita's much loved cat Joe.  I had just started painting back in August and Joe was one of my first, done in acrylics.  So here is the painting of Joe and then a series of pictures Nita emailed to me with Joe "beside himself" next to the painting!  Such fun!

 

 

 

And last but not least is a painting I painted of my cousin Jeff and his wife Sandra's cat, Biggie Smalls.  I couldn't post it until now because it is a Christmas present for Jeff.  But Sandra was really happy with it, so I call that a success story : - )

It is a companion painting for one Sandra bought from me at my Etsy shop.  A painting of my black kitty Tish.  Turns out her black kitty (named Black Kitty!) is a twin to my Tish, so now Sandra and Jeff have paintings of both of their cats.

Happy holidays to everyone and thanks for making this a really fun year of painting!

Rocky the Maine Coon - Original Oil Painting by Diane Irvine Armitage

This painting is a commission for Rita of her Maine Coon Rocky, who recently passed away.  This painting was a real pleasure to paint, with Rocky being so gorgeous.  And I really enjoyed painting the pretty rug he was posing on too.  I really wanted this painting to be special and I think it is ... I'm pretty pleased with it.

 

You can see this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Muggs McGinnis, Legendary Tabby Cat - Original Oil Painting by Diane Irvine Armitage

Today's painting is for my lovely parents.  They commissioned a couple of paintings of our cats from back in the 1970s.  Our cats were named Muggs and Fuzzbucket and they were super cool kitties.  My sister Nancy found Muggs in an alley by our house in Mar Vista and he was just a little baby, jumping with fleas.  After a flea bath he made himself right at home.  We already had Fuzzbucket and she was a very sweet kitty, so they got along great.  As Muggs grew up, he became a little cantankerous - one of those cats that you could only pick up if they were positioned just so, or you ran the risk of getting bit or scratched.  I think Muggs loved my dad the best.  If my dad was laying on the couch reading, Muggs would jump up and lay down on dad's stomach and then Muggs would v e r y  s l o w l y  army crawl up dad's chest until he got right up to dad's chin and then he would give dad a little love bite on the chin, but very softly.  It was the funniest thing!  Anyway, we all have wonderful memories of Muggs, he was truly a legend in our neighborhood.  Original oil painting, 5 by 7 inches on gessoboard.

Tomorrow I will paint Fuddie!

You can see this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Two Cats - Interior with J W Waterhouse Psyche Painting - Original Oil Painting by Diane Irvine Armitage

Today I painted my two black cats, Morticia and Luna.  They were sitting quite nicely on the piano the other afternoon.  It was a bit of a grey day with just a little light coming in from the window and some light from the chandelier above.  Again, it is fun to paint artwork on the walls, in this case J W Waterhouse's "Psyche Opening the Golden Box."  Original oil painting on archival gessoboard measuring 8 by 10 inches by me, Diane Irvine Armitage.

 You can see this painting and all of my others on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Interior with Black Cat and Cat Portraits - Original Oil Painting by Diane Irvine Armitage

Another interior painting today, this one is black kitty Tish on her cat stand next to a series of cat portraits.  I just love to paint an interior with paintings on the wall.  So fun!  These are cat portraits painted by the lovely and talented Kat Corrigan.  Her paintings are especially fun to paint small, this is the second painting I've done with them in the background.  Also fun to paint the light coming in from the window and the shadows on the wall.  I think I'll have to keep this one : - )  5 by 7 inches on archival gessoboard.

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Interior with Antiques and Tuxedo Cat - Original Oil Painting by Diane Irvine Armitage

Another in a series of Lou, my tuxedo cat doing what she does best, climbing the furniture : - )  All of my cats like walking along the narrow edge of this antique French Gentleman's chest.  Original oil painting on archival gessoboard measuring 7 by 5 inches.

Here is the value sketch I did prior to painting ...

You can see this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Tuxedo Cat Walks Across Antique Wilton Rug - Original Impressionist Oil Painting

I followed my cats around yesterday taking pictures of them for future paintings, like the paparazzi chasing Miley Cyrus or something.  They started to really get tired of it and finally disappeared into the closet.  But I did get a few fun shots.

Today's painting was from yesterday's photo session.  I painted my tuxedo kitty Lou today, walking across the living room carpet.  I think the looseness of the brushstrokes convey a sense of movement, also I blurred the back of Lou a bit to make her look like she's moving.  I find it humorous that the title of this painting says "Antique Wilton Rug" since there's no way to tell it's a Wilton rug with the mush of paint going on : - )

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Black Cat, Purple Shadow - Original Oil Painting by Diane Irvine Armitage

Today's painting is a bit larger, 8 inches by 10 inches on archival gessoboard.  Black cat with an interesting purple cast shadow.  I love the play of sunlight and shadow and especially with a black cat for the subject.  I kept the brushwork loose and the edges sketchy - fun!

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Black Cat Stare - Original Oil Painting by Diane Irvine Armitage

It's fun to paint that intense stare you can get from a black cat.  And of course, I have a ball painting the whiskers!  Original black cat oil painting measuring 6 by 6 inches by Diane Irvine Armitage.

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Pandora's Morning Walk - Original Cat Oil Painting by Diane Irvine Armitage

After several days of rain and grey skies, we finally got some sunshine today.  Pandora the kitty was overjoyed to be out and about, checking out her territory.  I went over to the historic area of Los Rios Street to snap some pics this morning while the shadows were so long and nice and as I was walking up to my house who should I see but Miss Pandora, so she got her picture taken too.  She is usually more photogenic and more fun to paint than historic houses, so today's painting is Miss PD and her shadow.  An original 6 by 6 inch oil painting on archival gessoboard.

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Black Cat in the Garden - Original Oil Painting by Diane Irvine Armitage

I have been reading my Sorolla books recently and am really enjoying the one about his garden paintings, Sorolla: Gardens of Light.  Of course I love his beach paintings, but these garden paintings are really amazing, the brushwork is so beautiful.  If you don't have that book, I highly recommend getting it.

So inspired by all those lovely garden images, today's painting is of a black cat in the tall grass of a garden.  I left areas of the brown gesso showing through and I like how that looks in the green areas.  Original oil painting measuring 6 by 6 inches on archival gessoboard.

You can see this painting and all of my others on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Alley Cat - Original Oil Painting of a Black Cat by Diane Irvine Armitage

Another day, another painting!  On my continuing quest to keep things loose ... I liked painting this black cat, keeping the edges sketchy and just suggesting the face.  7 by 5 inches on archival gessoboard.

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Redhead with Black Cat - Original Oil Painting

I have been watching Peggi Kroll Roberts DVDs again - they are amazing!  I love her style and how loose her paintings are.  Just a suggestion of the subject.  So I gave her techniques a go this morning, mixing up way more paint than usual and putting it on there without mucking around too much.  I really like the result!

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Black Cat and Siamese Cat Original Oil Paintings - Blue Eyes

Today's cats both have blue eyes.  I tried to really loosen up today and I like the result, but I think I can get even looser with these small paintings.  Both are in oils, 7 by 5 inches on archival gessoboard.

You can find these paintings on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Black Cat Original Oil Painting - Tish in Sunlight

My black kitty Tish loves to hang out wherever there's a patch of sun.  Which is fortunate for me, since it makes for a nice painting!  I keep trying for a loose effect and I think this one hits that mark.  Original oil painting measuring 6 by 6 inches on archival gessoboard.

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Purple Bedroom - Original Oil Painting with Cat on Windowsill at Night

Night in the purple bedroom with Tish looking out the window.  I enjoyed painting the old glamor photos on the wall.  And in case they are too loose, that is Linda Christian on the top and Gene Tierney on the bottom : - )  Original oil painting, 5 x 7 inches on archival canvas board.

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Sunny Afternoon Mr. Boney - Original Oil Painting, Skeleton with Cats

The late afternoon sunlight shining on Mr. Boney and the cat portraits on the wall cast such lovely shadows that I had to get the paints out and give it a go.  I am staying with a nice, loose painting style and am really enjoying the process.  I sell creepy antiques and Mr. Boney is an antique medical skeleton.  He is hanging out (literally) until his new owner comes to town to get him.

As a side note, the cat portraits on the wall were done last year by Kat Corrigan during her 30 cats in 30 days painting marathon.  I'm crazy about them!  It was fun to paint them here, little itty bitty versions of them!  LOL

You can find this painting and all my others on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Tuxedo Cat Original Oil Painting - Lou at the Kitchen Sink

I was looking around for a photo to paint from this morning and I came across one of my cat Luna walking along the kitchen counter by the sink.  And yes, the cats like to be up on the kitchen counters!  I love the way the sunlight is coming in from the windows.  So a real simple, loose painting of an ordinary day - the cat on the counter, a bowl soaking in the sink - good times : - )

I plan on doing more of these nice, loose paintings from other photos I have of the critters.  If you are interested in this 5 x 7 original oil painting, you can find it on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

The Alchemist's Cat - Original Black and White Cat Oil Painting with JW Waterhouse "The Crystal Ball"

Finally, a larger painting!  I worked on this 11 by 14 painting yesterday and today and I'm happy with the results.  All of my favorite subjects here!  Black (and white) cat, crystal balls, potion bottles and JW Waterhouse's painting "The Crystal Ball" in the background.  Oh yes, and peacock feathers : - )  Who would have guessed peacock feathers would be so fun to paint?

 Here was the start from yesterday ...

And the finish today ...

This painting and all my other paintings are available on my Daily Paintworks Gallery Page HERE.

Black Cat Admires Arthur Mathews Painting - Original Oil Painting Bungalow Decor!

I have combined two of my favorite subjects - a black cat and an Arthur Mathews painting.  This cat is posed in front of one of Mathew's "Dancing Girls" paintings.  It was fun to paint the art nouveau frame and do a loose color study of the painting.  I plan on doing a series of these kind of paintings - cats with color studies of some of my favorite paintings behind them.

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Black Cat Original Oil Painting

I painted today's cat painting a little larger than usual, 8 by 8 inches.  It's almost easier to work a little bigger.  This painting went from blocked in, to lots of brush strokes, to more blended and back again a few times - LOL  I think I found a happy medium in between too loose and too tight.

You can find this black kitty on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Anticipation - Original Oil Painting of a Siamese Cat Mix

Another pretty kitty from Petfinders.  Looks like a Siamese mix of some sort.  I liked the look of anticipation on this cat's face!  Another fun study in whisker application : - )

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Tuxedo Cat Profile - Original Oil Painting by Diane Irvine Armitage

Today's cat looks just like my Luna!  But it is not, it is Chipie, a tuxedo babe I found on Petfinders.  The coolest thing about tuxedo cats (besides how nice they are) are their white whiskers.  They are large and in charge, those white whiskers!  I painted this cat and before putting the whiskers on, the painting was only half finished - that's how important whiskers are on these tuxedo cats : - )

This painting and all my other cat paintings can be found on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Blue Eyed Siamese Cat - Original Oil Painting by Diane Irvine Armitage

I have been wanting to paint a Siamese cat with blue eyes!  I love the look on today's model with his sweet and curious expression.  I worked on getting some contrast in the painting, a darker background on the lighter side of the cat's face and a lighter background on the darker side of the face, to make the cat's face pop more.

This painting is available on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Grey Cat Gaze

I enjoyed painting this lovely grey cat.  Another cat from Petfinders, this one is named Rita.  Adopt a cat!  One can never have too many : - )  Original oil painting on gessoboard measuring 6 by 6 inches.

This painting and all of my others are available on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.  Thanks for looking!

Playtime!

This is the look I get when my little Morticia wants to play.  All big round eyes!  I hadn't painted in two days and was feeling a little blah today, but I forced myself out to the studio and this painting practically painted itself!  How nice : - )

You can find this painting and all my others on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Trick or Treat!

I had to laugh when I saw this white cat with the black Halloween mask!  I had to paint it : - )  I worked hard today to get a little smoother look to my painting.  I deployed a fan brush to do some blending and that worked nice.  So to get you in the mood for Halloween, here is Trick or Treat.

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Spooky!

I'm calling today's black cat "Spooky" since it's that time of year : - )  I like the darker background on this little guy, with just a little light around him.

You can find Spooky on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Black Cat Crossed My Path

Next in my series of black cat paintings, Black Cat Crossed My Path.  I like it when a black cat crosses my path!  LOL  Happens to me a lot since I have two of them at home.  This is a younger black kitty with a cute little square face.

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

I'll Be Watching You

Back to painting black cats : - )  I liked the intense stare on this guy - he's got his eye on something!

You can find this painting and all of my others on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page HERE.

Painting of Zoe the Comfort Retriever

I've gone to the dogs today!  This custom portrait, 6 x 6 inches in oil, is of Zoe the Comfort Retriever.  I had never heard of this kind of dog before, but what a cute furry face!  I loved the bit of lavender in Zoe's nose, so that inspired the lavender/blue background.

The sketch, with Zoe's photo on my monitor in front.

The real Zoe ...

And my version ...

 You can see this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page here.

Blue Twilight Black Cat

There's nothing like a black cat at twilight!  This one is in oils, 10 x 8 inches on archival canvas board.  It is fun to play with the blues and purples and again, the whiskers really make the painting.

You can find this painting on my Daily Paintworks Gallery page here and it is available on my ebay auction here.