Cassey is a very happy Doxie who is cherished and cuddled by her loving family. They live in Austin, Texas and right now it's very *hot* there! Cassey loves to go sailing to cool off!

Doxies are very fun to paint with their lively expressions and sweet dispositions. My neighbor has two Doxies and whenever my Aussie is in the backyard, the two little Doxies come roaring out of their house and begin barking a big "hello!!!"

I love to paint the patterns on the animals' little scarves that they wear. It's one way to brighten up a painting and give it an extra dimension of fun!

Do you have Dachshunds, or do you know anyone who does?

Thank you ~

   ~ Connie

Item number: 320246714214

This lovely Himalayan cat lives in North Carollina. The dogwood is their state flower, so I couldn't resist putting the two together. Her Mom does own a little gift shop and Sabrina (not her real name) lives with lots of other cats!

Most of the cats I've lived with have been short-haired cats. I think it would be very difficult to keep the mats out of a Persian or Himalayan cat. I used to raise angora rabbits on my little 3-acre farm, and it was a constant necessity to keep them combed out. I would take their extra fur that I got from grooming them and spin it into luxurious sweaters and socks. There's nothing warmer than angora. I heard it's several times warmer than wool, and I believe it!

Thank you!

Do you have long-haired cats? Have you ever raised angora rabbits?

   ~ Connie

Item number: 320246000257

Willow lives with a few other horses on a beautiful estate with their own horse barn. I truly love to paint horses. They are sooo extraordinarily beautiful!

I traded a painting for some elementary riding lessons a couple of years back. I didn't mean to, but my legs kept hitting the side of my school horse named Zack and he started to trot! I was so surprised and didn't know what to do. My teacher started to run after me yelling, "Connie, WHAT are you doing? You're trotting! Come back here!!!"

I was so glad to dismount and relax. I couldn't wait for my lessons to end. All I wanted to do was feed Zack some carrots, take off that hot, heavy saddle and cool him off and just enjoy being around him. He was very sweet to me, and for that I am eternally grateful!

Thank you!

   ~ Connie

Are you a lover of horses, too?

Item number: 320245471394

I love Lola's eyes in this painting. They really look so sweet and reflect a lovely mood. The sun is shining on her fur and she looks so soft and cuddly.

These 5x7's, even though they're small, do take quite a bit of time to paint in all the detail. Most times I work several hours on just one painting. I love to add the little hairs that stick up from the animal's fur and the expressive whiskers. I do feel that puppy and kitten photos are one of my favorite photos to work from.

Well, I better go pick up my son from his friend's house. They've been playing computer games all afternoon. The sun is finally shining here in rainy Portland, but the boys still love to be at the computer!

Have a great weekend everyone! Thank you!

  ~ Connie

Item number: 320245067395

Jovan is a sweet, fluffy kitten who lives in London. His Mom has no children of her own. All of her cats are her children. I'm sure if they could, her cats and kittens would love to give her roses for Mother's Day!!!

I love to add little stuffed toys and dolls into the paintings along with the cats. They give the painting an added dimension and bring an innocence to the overall feel. I love fabric dolls especially, and tried my hand at making them. They're *very fun* to create!

Have you ever made any interesting fabric dolls, or do you know of anyone who does?

Thank you!

  ~ Connie

Item number: 320244734808

Yoshi is the most festive Westie! I love to do paintings of him exploring his environment and enjoying life. There's nothing like the beach for letting loose and having a good romp in the sand.

Our Australian shepherd, Jesse, loves to go to the beach with us. He sees us packing and starts to get anxious that he'll be left behind until we yell "BEACH!" and then he starts whimpering and making his happy, whiny sounds, letting us know he's ready to go, too!

I love the way this painting takes in the whole scene of the blue waves, the moss-covered rocks and the warm sand.

Thank you!

   ~ Connie

Where do you like to take your pets to get away from it all?

Item number: 320243917809

Socks has since grown into a gorgeous long-haired tuxedo cat! He lives in Texas and was adopted when he was just a  few weeks old. When he was a tiny abandoned kitten, his mother was never found, so he was nursed by a foster kitty mother and lived with his foster siblings. I'm so grateful he was able to adjust to his foster mother and receive the care he needed.

Socks has been so popular here on ebay! I love this painting because of the close-up of his extraordinary blue eyes. He has such expression in his eyes and his "eyebrows" are so wild and fun!

Do you have any little kittens at your house?

Thank you ~

   ~ Connie

Item number: 320243509468

This is a true story about Mancha and Narizinho. They live in Brazil with a very kind woman who rescues cats and finds homes for them after they are healed of any injuries or diseases and are spayed and neutered. Many times the feral cats have their kittens in her home and are fostered until they are ready for adoption.

With the little cherub wall sconce in the background, the painting has the feeling of angels watching over the cats. I love the feeling of love and care in this painting. It is the overriding theme of most of my artwork.

Thank you!

    ~ Connie

Do you rescue and foster animals, too, or do you know someone who does?

Item number: 320243026677

Little Jamar lives in the UK. His kitty Mom had only him when she gave birth, and she had trouble raising him, so he went to a foster kitty Mom who showered him with lots of love and attention. He looked soooo cute with his foster sisters, because he was *huge* as a Maine Coon kitten beside the little calicos.

I used to paint rocks of all kinds, from cottages to lots of different animals. For anyone who wants to start this fabulous hobby, Lin Wellford has written many books on the subject with lots of diagrams and how-to instructions. She is the absolute best teacher!

I still have some of the little cottages I painted and they're very cheery because the "lights" in the windows are always on - because I painted them in warm yellows and oranges.

Do any of you folks like to paint rocks?

Thank you!

   ~ Connie

Item number: 320242632438

Johnny and Davey live in Philadelphia with about 8 other cats! One of the very first portraits I ever completed 5 years ago was done for the gal who is the guardian of these tabbies.

I had been wanting to paint Johnny and Davey for quite awhile, because I love this pose of the two tabby brothers arm in arm. But I couldn't quite manage to fit it onto either a 5x7 or ACEO size painting. I'm trying a new size today - 6x6 - which suits the reference photo perfectly, because they are absolutely in a square formation.

I love the idea of fabric flowers, and isn't it just like cats to want to be smack, dab in the middle of what's going on?

Are your cats like that, too - wanting to be right in the middle of everything?!

Thank you ~

   ~ Connie

Item number: 320242194016

I love to go to the beach here in Oregon. We go once a year in the summer and stay a few days. We avoid the Coast in the winter because it's very blustery (65 mph winds) with lots of storms and rain. The people who live on the Oregon Coast are a hardy bunch!

I love to paint at the beach because the light is so clear and bright. All of the rental cabins have big windows and it's just a delight for me to take my paints on our vacation.

My 16-year old son and his friends love to build elaborate sandcastles when we go, so I just had to put that in the story of Sadie and Little Mouse.  I think Sadie would love the Oregon Coast in the summer because it's very warm on the sand and the sky is the clearest blue - just like her eyes!

What places do you go on vacation that your pets would like, too?

Thank you!

    ~ Connie

Item number: 320241793924

Hi, everyone!!! Sophia is truly a beautiful and sweet kitten. She never seems to have her claws out. And she just purrs and purrs when she's picked up. Her favorite place to nap is on someone's shoulder - even when they're walking around the house!!! The other two cats she lives with are older cats, so she can run circles around them. Fortunately for everyone, they all get along fine.

I love wine-colored tulips. They look so elegant and serene to me - especially when displayed in a tall glass vase.

Thank you!

  ~ Connie

Item number: 320241391423

Rambo lives in Alabama with a gal who rescues and fosters kittens. She also volunteers at her local pet store to take photos of the cats to post on the web for adoption. I love painting her cats because she catches them in the most wonderful poses. I can just see Jody, the little tabby in this story, planning her secret attack on Rambo! ;-)

Have any of your cats grabbed their prize and ran, knowing you'll never be able to catch them? It seems my cats are the very fastest at scooting away from me when they've got something they're not supposed to have. I do have good luck "luring" them into the bathroom for their nightly teeth cleaning, though. All I have to do is close the door and soon there are two cats scratching to come in! LOL

Thank you so much ~

   ~ Connie

Item number: 320240950394 

Jinks lives in London and is in real life a Champion Maine Coon with many ribbons to his credit. I think he has the *most* expressive face, and gets himself into all sorts of predicaments. He is a favorite subject of mine, having painted many ACEO's of Jinks. His guardian raises Maine Coons and she has graciously permitted me to use dozens of her reference photos for my paintings.

I added the little stuffed kitty in the painting as well as the background. I like to dress up my paintings and add little toys and dolls as well as the usual flowers.

I placed a wad of my son's old stuffed toys onto the bed and made them all look as enticing as I could hoping my two kitties would take a nap among the toys, but so far no such luck. I'm still hopeful, however, that the perfect arrangement will present itself to me one day and I can paint an endearing portrait of my cats napping comfortably with the stuffed toys.

Thank you!

Have you ever caught your pets sleeping in odd or unusual places or positions?

    ~ Connie

Item number: 320240566204

Ringlet is a very sweet cat that lives two doors down from me. She lives with a huge tux cat named Oreo. I hear her little bell tinkling now and then, but that's the only way I know she's nearby. As soon as I see her, she scoots off in a cloud of dust. Ringlet loves to hang out in my next door neighbor's lovely garden also, and that's where the reference photo for this painting was taken.

I love the idea of a camouflage cat, because sometimes they are soooo hard to find. Years ago, my mostly black calico would jump onto some high shelves and fall asleep there. We *never* could find her, especially if we really needed to!!!

Do your pets have hiding places, too, where you can't find them?

Thank you!

   ~ Connie

Item number: 320240116769

Natashe is a tiny black and tan Dachshund puppy and Sonja, a little Siamese kitten, is her friend. They play together in the yard and enjoy each other's company immensely. I think the little round beds make the most comfortable place for the animals to sleep.

We have a little round bed with high sides and Carma, my tabby kitten, loves to curl up there to sleep. Her second most favorite place is on my grey softie jacket that I throw on the corner of the couch when I'm not wearing it. (We have a very informal household. Our coats and jackets hardly ever end up in the closet ;-) )

Do your animals have a favorite place they like to sleep? - sometimes in the most unlikely places? ;-)

Thank you ~

    Connie

Item number: 320239771112

I've never had a Westie before - all the dogs I've lived with have been very large; i.e., a German shepherd, Yellow lab and now my Australian shepherd who's 65 lbs. One thing nice about the smaller dogs, though, is they can climb up on your lap and keep you company. Jesse, my Aussie, does lay on the couch with us when we watch TV, but when I took care of Gracie, my friend's Westie, she was such company - always sitting in the overstuffed chair with me and being very attentive.

She would suddenly yank her leash on walks, though, if she saw a squirrel or something to chase!

I love the orange tone of this painting as it gives it such a warm feeling. The painting captures a moment in time with Yoshi by the sunny window and the lovely flowered drapes gently swaying in the breeze of a brisk Spring morning.

Do you have a lap dog at your house?

Thank you!

   ~ Connie

Item number: 320239282809

We adopted Brock and Carma (our little tabby) last October and both cats are growing beautifully. They were both *very* sick when we got them. A couple of days ago, Brock jumped onto the bookcase and then onto our high shelf that runs the length of the hallway with windows all along it. I took some photos of him resting there and he didn't seem to mind a bit! Sometimes when I take photos of cats for their portraits, the flash makes them run and hide, but fortunately for me my kitties are getting used to it. ;-)

I love the idea of patterns on ceramics and pottery with lovely vases filled with fresh flowers and decorative wallpapers. You'll be seeing those themes in all of my artwork.

The story of today's painting centers around food. What favorite feast do your cats prefer?

Thank you everyone for your interest!

   ~ Connie

Item number: 320238881337

Luke is the *most adorable* Doxie puppy! When I saw his photo, it just made me melt, and I *had* to paint it! I added the stars and the blanket into the painting. He is actually being held, but it looked almost to me like he was cuddled up for the night, so that was the theme I chose for the painting.

Luke lives with a Doxie named Natashe, so stay tuned for a painting of her looking out of a sunny window. ;-)

And, of course, for you cat lovers, there's more cat paintings ahead, too. Today I'm going to paint my black kitty Brock who was "posing" for me yesterday.

Do you have a little Doxie or other dog or cat who loves his or her stuffed toys?

Thank you!

    ~ Connie

Item number: 320238505433

Fluffy has lived in lots of warm places and now resides in Arizona. She gave birth to 5 kittens - two calicos and three orange tabbies. I read on the Internet when I was researching Turkish Van cats that they are so strong, they can leap onto the refrigerator in one bound!!! I think Turkish Van cats have incredibly soft fur and her name aptly fits her - Fluffy!!!

California Poppies look just like orange velvet to me. They are so delicate and such bright, happy flowers. I'm not one to spend time in the garden (I'm too busy painting), but I do appreciate everyone else's beautiful flowers when I walk around my neighborhood.

If you have cats that go outdoors, do they help you when you're out in the garden?

Thank you!

~ Connie

Item number: 320238128456