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MEDIUM: Scratchboard with Inks
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SIZE: 8" x 10"
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STATUS: For sale $450, in a wood frame
"As you might notice in my galleries, I love doing animal portraits - cat faces are particularly inspiring. My cats are usually very willing to pose for my reference photos too! This is my cat Jethro, just one of many many sweet kitties we have adopted from the local shelter. He was the subject for "9 Lives", a series of nine different media used on Claybord™, a white scratching panel. His markings are lovely, even when converted to grey values... a natural subject for scratchboard art. I love this pose particularly for its contrast of textures: the soft sheepskin, short fur and long whiskers, and the glassy-smooth surface of his eyes. The unscratched black background would balance the details of the main subject.
I started this scratchboard as a demonstration piece. I show my scratchboards and other paintings at my art guild's annual exhibition, and the audience is always intrigued with how the scratchboard art is created. For 90 minutes on each of the three show days I set up a Demo Table and attract many curious onlookers. Some are so amazed that they want to sign up right away for a workshop! I enjoy sharing my love of scratchboards and revealing many of my techniques.
When the exhibition ended I decided to finish this piece. I added just a few touches of color, using transparent inks for Jethro's eyes and little pink nose. The highlights in the eyes are usually my final area to scratch, and they bring my subject to life!"
