Splendour

Splendour. Oil on panel, 6" x 6". ©2019.

This photo of Mocha has been calling to me for a while, but somehow kept getting put off. Either I had just painted a cat, I had a commission to do, or someone had requested goats. Anyway, yesterday was the day. It was a fun painting to make, save for the self-inflicted stress of recording it in time lapse. The time-lapse process is oddly addictive. My heart races when I start the painting, all self-conscious and trying to be aware of where I'm standing. Maybe that rush has something to do with the addictiveness, but it's mostly the opportunity to watch the process from afar. The speed of the playback takes away the insecurity and mistakes and frustrations, making the progression seem almost magical. (See the video here.)

The title refers primarily to the magnificence and placement of my dorky cat. However, some research into the origin and of the Wordsworth's phrase "splendour in the grass" revealed unexpected appropriateness. Long story short, it's about finding beauty and meaning in ordinary things when we might otherwise be bitter and grieving. Pretty fitting and inspirational, but for now I'm going to have to settle for a bit of both.