RIP Scrappy Doodle Doo
November 2006 – July 2010
Cause of death – Lupus
Scrappy is best remembered for his love of food, belly rubs and head scratches, for chasing and retrieving paper airplanes, for yowling very deeply and loudly, for being zen and meditating in front of the lamp, for always being hungry, for falling asleep with his head in the water bowl, for fighting death to the bitter end, and for how much he loved his Papa Greg.
Greg rescued Scrappy when we lived in West Virginia. He came to us sickly, and abused. We always thought someone had kicked him in the side because he had one little rib that stuck out. And, every time we ran our hand down his body we could feel it.
He came to us covered in feces, with a runny nose and eyes, and a cough. He was very skinny, timid, and for the first few weeks we didn’t know he was in the apartment. He hid under the dresser in the bedroom most of the time. But, slowly he came to trust us, and the bond between him and Greg grew very strong. It became clear to me that he was Greg’s cat. He only tolerated me..when he absolutely had to. lol I was good at giving belly rubs though. I’d ask him if he wanted one, and he would assume the position – flop down on his back, belly up, and close his eyes in anticipation. He was a tool.
After a few months with us, he started to have trouble with his eyes, again. That was the start of a very long illness. The vet in WV treated him with eye drops, but something didn’t seem right. He would get better for a few days, and then have an eye infection again. So, back he’d go, and get more drops. It wasn’t until we moved to KS that he was diagnosed with Lupus. I cried for days after hearing the news. Out of all our pets, he was the baby.
He lived longer than any of us expected. The KS vet gave up on him over a year ago. She tried drug after expensive drug, and nothing seemed to work. He got sicker. So, we decided to take him off all medication last spring, and let nature take its course. He actually got better for a few weeks, but we knew he wouldn’t live long. However, he certainly lived far longer than we ever expected.
I didn’t get to say goodbye to him. He died in his sleep. So, I’ll just end this with a message to him…
See you later, Buddy.
Good kitty.
Yeah.
I think it’s finished now. I may change my mind when I look at her with fresh eyes tomorrow, but for now…
Look! No more gravy drool!! I took Christy’s advice, and did a wash in that dark shadow area below her mouth, and I think it looks much better. Thanks, Christy!!
My friend, Wanda Marie posted this photo of herself the other day in this entry on her blog. When I saw it I had an immediate reaction, and knew I had to paint her. I just love the expression on her face, and that she is wearing the scarf on her head..even though she said she looks like an old lady. hahaha
So, I sketched her out on canvas board early yesterday morning, and set to work. Wanda is a beach going doll, so her skin is quite tan. I am trying to capture all the different tones in her skin, and how the sun is hitting and shadowing her face. She has some dark brown, pink, a little red, and of course, real dark where the shadows are.
And, as much as I love the white scarf, for the sake of the painting, white wasn’t working for me..even after I added blue for sky. So, I painted on a couple strokes of red paint, and knew there was no stopping me at that point.
She’s looking a bit scary in this shot. Her left eye is really wonky looking, but I fixed it somewhat in the next shot.
So, she became the red scarf wearing beach babe. Red is definitely her color, don’t you think? I still have a lot of work to do on her glasses and eyes. Her left eye is still a little too droopy. But, it’s getting there. I need to make her lenses darker, but still keep a bit of eye showing. Easier said then done. I’ll keep trying. Stay tuned for more updates. I’ll have video for this one..hopefully soon.
I’m also thinking of toning down the shadows. I know how dark it is in the photo, but I’m not convinced it’s working for the painting. She almost looks like she is drooling brown gravy all over her chin. lol Sorry, Wanda..I know you said you’re an old lady, but I don’t think you’re that old. hahahaha
So, you wanna see what I got for my birthday?
I’ve been telling Greg for a while now that I want to paint something for the house on big canvas. So, he bought me two in different sizes, and a bunch of new paint brushes. I’m a little nervous about the bigger canvas. It will be the first time I work that large. But, honestly, I would work bigger than that all the time, if it wasn’t for the hassle of shipping it out to customers. I am scared/lazy/nervous about trying to pack a large canvas, and have it shipped and arrive without a problem. I know a lot of artists who do it, but the thought of it complete paralyzes me. And, I don’t think people would appreciate paying extra shipping to have UPS or FedEx do it for me.
I haven’t decided what I’m going to paint on the canvases, yet. But, I tore into the new brushes, and started using them immediately. Love all of them, and I needed new ones desperately.
And, I know this entry is getting really long, but I can’t resist showing you my cake. I gave out slices of it to my FB friends last night, so had to share with my blog readers also. mmm..cake! Considering I almost got the styrofoam cake display instead of the cake itself, I’m feeling pretty lucky. Greg asked the cake decorator to write my name on the cake display. Is that not funny??!! He thought the styrofoam cake was real. lol Lucky for me, they didn’t sell him that one, huh?
Okay, I’ve got to get back to my Wanda painting. Hope you’re having a great Monday.
i have been missing taking photographs lately.
like, seriously missing it.
that is all.
oh, and hot chocolate.
haven’t had in a a few months now.
yeah, i miss it.
but not as much as taking photographs.
so, what’s missing in your life? or are you keeping a good balance?
