Chai The Cat (2016)
Oil Pastels and Acrylics on Board
28 X 30 cm
This is Chai. He is my partner's darling cat, and this painting is based on a photo that she took on the first day that he went outside. He was a rescue kitten, and I just love the look of wonder in his face, the light that bring his beautiful eyes into focus as he stares fixedly at some flying insect off-camera. Soon to be prey, no doubt.
The painting was my one-year anniversary gift to Jordan, and occupies a place of honour in our house, like the place Chai holds in our hearts. And of course, the significant portion of the bed that he somehow manages to take up for such a little cat.
A little closer to those eyes...
And the fur...
The Process:
I've recently discovered the marvelous ways in which you can paint under and on top of oil pastels. For Chai's fur I painted black and white undercoats for the darker areas that needed to show through the lighter fur. I used white to add highlights to the eyes and the fur on his nose.
I've got a wedding portrait I've been working on for a while now, where I've used a similar technique to paint in the threads that are just to small to draw in pastels. It's a great hack for the small sharp lines that are often just impossible when you're holding a wedge of wax.
