Category: cat art

What's on BZTAT's Easel? Tiger Lilly and Tink!

Artwork by BZTAT

About this time last year, I completed my first commissioned pet portrait painting of a dog named Harvey. It is only fitting that I would complete the painting of his housemates, Tiger Lilly and Tink at the same time this year!

Like Harvey, I actually had the opportunity to meet my subjects for this portrait. I went to see Tiger Lilly and Tink at their home and snapped a bunch of photos.

Tink was quite the ham.

Tiger Lilly, on the other hand, was a bit more reclusive.

Both were very sweet and fun and lovable. They did show some disdain for their housemate Harvey, however.

Although I took several photos, I ended up using one submitted by their person for the basic structure of the painting.

I was really struck by the poses in this photo. It was not an easy picture to work from, because the cats are behind a window screen. The other photos helped me with details.

The First step in creating the painting was to develop a reference image from the photo using Photoshop filters, which I then traced onto a black canvas using a projector. I then started blocking in shapes with color.

Using my usual layering technique, I refined the colors and shapes, building up color by painting many layers of varied colors on top of each other. Each layer shows some trace of the underneath layers.

I tend to paint grayish cats in blue tones; striped cats with very simplified implications of stripes. My colors are what are distinctive about my paintings, so grays do not tend to go onto my palette.

As long as the character of the animal is portrayed, my patrons tend to enjoy the color absraction and the simplification of shapes and patterns.

The background of this portrait was designed to coordinate with the background in Harvey’s painiting.

Harvey

Tiger Lilly and Tink were so much fun to paint, as was Harvey! I am so grateful to them and their family for getting me started on this journey of painting the portraits of beloved pets.  It has been such a great year with each portrait being a grand adventure!

If you are interested in a pet portrait of your animal, info about the process can be found here.

Happy Holidays! may the season be filled with love, light and peace, and ADVENTURE!

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

Artwork Gifts and Schtuff

Artwork by BZTAT
Artwork by BZTAT

A Twitter and Facebook friend found the image above in my Cafe Press store, and she said, ” I think you should offer ‘White and Black Cat on Red’ on a size small Women’s Long Sleeve Dark T-Shirt.”

So, I took her advice.  I not only put it on the T-Shirt she wanted, I put it on several other apparel options. Check it out and tell me what you think!

white-and-black-cat-blk-T-shirt

I know that times are tough and folks can’t always buy original artwork. Sometimes buying a framed print, a T-Shirt or some other option is more realistic.  I am just thrilled that people like my images, so if there is a way that I can make them more accommodating to you, I am all about it!

If you see an image on this site that you like and would like as a specific piece of merchandise, please let me know. I will see what I can do to make it into something that you can enjoy!

Enjoy the adventures that the holiday season brings you!

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

Welcome to BZTAT.COM!!!

Artwork by BZTAT
Artwork by BZTAT

Welcome to BZTAT.COM, the new home for artwork by BZTAT! Today is the launch of a new website and a new era for BZTAT’s online presence.

In the past, my artwork could be seen at one website and my blog at another. As time evolved, however, it became cumbersome to have my online activity in two different  places.

I decided that it was time to change things.

It was a big job, but I am really proud of the result!

Now my blog and my artwork can be seen in the same place, and the opportunities for updating information rapidly are much more accommodating.

Everything that you want to know or see about artwork by BZTAT can be found right here!

Thanks to my great friend Liz Hover for helping me design and develop this site into something really special! We are still working out a few bugs, so bear with us. We felt that it was time to go live now, even if a few issues still need to be resolved.

I hope that you will enjoy looking through the galleries and checking out old blog posts that have been imported from my old blog “The Buzz from BZTAT!” Please let me know your thoughts in the comments.

If you ever wondered about how I got the name BZTAT, you can read about it here. The name is in homage to the black and white cat whose picture is featured in this post.

This website is dedicated to the original “Beezie” who was the greatest artistic inspiration of my life, and whose spirit remains a part of my soul.

I still miss ya, old girl. Save me a good spot at the Bridge.

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT