Oscar, Upside Down

...Oscar, Upside Down...
Oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

It has been so long since I've done a pet portrait that I had to learn how to do fur all over again. In fact, I've never done fur as fine and fuzzy as Oscar's. The fur seems to suck up the light and obscure the shadows, so it is a real effort to maintain the value pattern and give the form a 3-dimensional quality. Of course, the tabby markings don't help.

Oscar was not aware, when I bailed him out of the hoosegow, that his duties as studio cat would include modeling. But being a good sport, he decided to go along with it. This is a pose he strikes quite often, especially when he is about to be fed. He thinks this is a very successful painting, my best yet! He'll say anything for a tuna treat.