Visions of SugarMice

About now, most children (and some adults) are going to sleep to dream about presents under the tree and sugar-plums in their stockings. (Does anyone know what a "sugar-plum actually is?) Cats, being super intelligent little creatures, are no exception. I caught our cat happily snoozing near the fireplace, where his stocking is hanging with care, and dreaming of SugarMice. This 11 x 14 watercolour hangs in our house every Christmas season, but small prints are available.

THANKSGIVING

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, and over this past weekend, people all across the country have been gathering for dinners with family and friends. These dinners require lots of cooking, which is fine by me, but alas, they also entail a certain amount of house cleaning. When I am pushed into cleaning house, my hands may be busy with dust cloth and broom, but my mind is far away, riding though the October fields with a loved four footed friend. How I would have loved to have a pony like the one in my watercolour painting, "Fine October Day", when I was a young girl!

We had our Thanksgiving Dinner yesterday, and were blessed to be able to share it with dear friends. The dinner itself turned out just fine, which is something of a miracle, given my tendency to drop into a dreamworld while I am doing something in the kitchen. It was the animals who provided a little "entertainment".

We had cooked and carved the turkey the night before, as last minute timing is just too nerve wracking for me, and although my husband and I have taken Fencing lessons, neither one of us can handle a knife well enough to carve a turkey in front of anyone. So there was the main event for dinner, nicely plated and covered on the counter while I turned away to wash my hands. Almost at once, the dogs set up a howl, and I turned around in time to see our cat slip out from under the clingwrap with a large piece of turkey hanging out of each side of his mouth and a "Don't mess with me - I'm serious!!" look on his face. He soared over the heads of the dogs and took off for one of his hide-outs to enjoy his ill gotten gains. Me? I didn't even think of stopping him - not with that look on his face! Besides, our guests were cat lovers. They wouldn't have begrudged him a bite of turkey, even if they had known.

Yesterday, our guests arrived, and all was going well until my husband stepped back and nipped a dog paw. Naturally, it was our dramatic fellow, and he howled and screamed blue murder, and while everyone's attention was on his barely grazed paw, he slid forward to grab a mini- quiche off a serving plate on the coffee table. Have I mentioned that we don't entertain very often?

This weekend is a time to give thanks, and I do. Thanks for my husband, pets, and home, for art, family, friends, and so much more, including a thank you to everyone who reads my ramblings of an animal artist's life of wonderful lunacy.

DOG PARADE WEDNESDAY - the WELSH TERRIER

The dog trotting past Sheltie Hollow today is the neat, amiable, Welsh Terrier. He always wears a coat of black and tan, or black grizzle and tan, and at an ideal height of about 15 inches, resembles a small Airedale. Once a hunting dog, these little guys have become great house dogs, and although still very active, (they need a place to work off some of this exuberance!) they are not scrappers and are intelligent and willing to please. To keep them looking their best, the Welsh Terrier will need dedicated grooming.
Today's image is a bright, fresh looking, watercolour wash, and is available as a 4.5 x 6.5 (image)matted print for $25. shipping included. This is a great gift for Welsh Terrier lovers, or treat yourself. If you are interested in today's print, or in commissioning a portrait of your dog, please contact me at: anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca.

CHARM

This is a portrait of a beautiful cat named CHARM. She was a delightful little thing, and touched everyone who met her. I placed her among Forget-me-nots because she loved to sit in among them, and because she will always remain in the hearts of the people who loved her.

When I am doing a portrait of a pet who has crossed Rainbow Bridge, I like to use a Spring background, if a background is required but not specified. To me, it gives a feeling of hope that we will see our loved ones again.

Charm was done in Coloured Pencil and is an 8 x 10 image. The portrait went home last night, to enthusiastic reviews.