The Set Up floral still life painting with cat

The Set Up  Oil on wood, 11" x 14,"  $495.

This painting cracks me up.  I think Coco (in all his forlorn glory) compliments the hearty sunflowers. I never tire of painting his gray mug.  ...and it's really sweet to re-visit floral still life painting too. This painting is better in life.  

The Observer

The Observer  Oil on wood, 12" x 12," $480.

Despite being happy with "Snapdragon Coco" (my last painting) I thought it was a little on the cool side, color wise.  "The Observer" got an extra dose of warms as a result.   Yes, maybe a little overkill.
Funny how that happens.  It's good to make a mental note of stuff, but when starting a new painting--It's important to remember that it will have its own possibilities and hurdles that have nothing to do with issues encountered during the the making of the painting that preceded it.

Hey, add a cat to that floral still life painting!

Snapdragon Coco  Oil on wood, 12" x 12," $480.

There has to be a use for the floral still life reference photos I've been taking since 2008...  :)  Add cat!?  If it looks like Coco-cat calmly posed while I painted to my heart's content, maybe I got it right...  Will try a few more floral + kitteh combos this week.  

Fun with shapes, painting a cat's spherical head.

Blanco  Oil on wood, 6" x 8,"  $195.

Blano's collar (hidden by fur) and pose accentuate the nearly perfect sphere of his head.  

Hoeptner Year 2014 in Review

My favorite painting from 2014:  "Tangy," sold.

2014 was a good year for my art.  Cat Art Show L.A. happened! "Freesia Fran" made into The Artist's Magazine.  My Coco-kitteh was featured in Carol Marine's book Daily Painting and then Huffpost Arts & Culture. "I Have Cat!" made me cat woman for a day.  I feel incredibly lucky to have become part of Gallery + here in Cleveland.  I also want to thank the hard working staff at Lord Nelson's Gallery in PA.  

A little more about 2014:  I've been procrastinating writing this post.  Never sure how much to "share."  You see, 2014 was very much about a personal, non-art (gasp?!) goal.

It's been about ten years-- and one goal in particular (the one tucked in between "paint better and "paint bigger") showed up every dang year.  ...and every year, I failed. "Lose 30 pounds." 2014 was the year I decided if losing weight was the only thing I did, it would be ok. As a multi-tasker who relishes goals (plural!) the idea was revolutionary.  (I had to reassure myself that art would keep getting made and in fact the earth would not stop spinning.) 

Planning meals, grocery shopping took on a new epic importance. Pasta got replaced by spahgetti squash. Icecream by strawberries etc...  (Here's my stash of recipes on Pinterest.)

The weight came off.  Not as fast as I had hoped, sometimes 1 or 2 pounds a month, 27 pounds to date. Slow and steady aint bad.  I'm feeling really good about it. I hemmed and hawed over whether project lose-thunder-thighs was blog worthy. This is an art blog, but I figured if I could do it anybody can. So, there's my year in review, the art highlights and my personal SCORE!  Telling it all to you makes it that much more real to me and I thank you for that.  Thank you for reading, commenting and subscribing, Happy New Year!

Trying for perfection with Back Lit Black Cat

Back Lit Black Cat  Oil on wood, 8" x 8,"  SOLD

One more time, Di.  I keep coming back to this composition. (previous versions, here and here)  Maybe one of these days, I'll get it perfect.

Sweetie Pie a Calico at the Cleveland Animal Protective League

Sweetie Pie  Oil on wood  8" x 8," $245.

Happy New Year!  Did you make it through the holidays ok?  I spent the last few weeks tinkering with online stuff.  I overhauled this blog and my website.  There's a few extra bells and whistles...  (See my new cat video and the searchable cat paintings in the right sidebar! Subscribers, if you are reading this from your email, click over and see!)   

I was happy to get back in the studio today.  "Sweetie Pie" is this cat's actual name.  ...despite a blind/cloudy eye, she's very photogenic, so don't be surprised if you see more paintings of her in the future.  

Uncle Orange and Huffpost Arts & Culture Article

Uncle Orange  Oil on wood  8" x 6"  $175.

Fellow artist, Aimee Hoover sent an email asking "Did you know your painting is on Huffington Post?!"  Um, no?  I clicked the link, heart in throat, thinking surely she was mistaken...  

Much to my surprise there was a picture my Coco-kitteh "Dragon Cat" painting!  (Delighted screaming may have ensued.)  The Huffpost Arts & Culture article was inspired by Carol Marine's new book Daily Painting and was titled "Let's Make 2015 The Year We All Start Painting!" Too cool!!  Have a look, here.

Liza Bean and Cleveland Bazaar this weekend

Liza Bean  Oil on wood  8" x 8"  SOLD

This pet portrait commission was fun to paint. "Liza Bean" is said by her human to be a "darling, opinionated biter of a kitty." 

This weekend is the 10th annual "Cleveland Bazaar" an indie craft show.  It's happening at 78th ST Studios.  Should you be shopping for that one of a kind, handcrafted, locally made gift, it's worth checking out with over 140 vendors.   Gallery + will be open during the show, so stop in if you get a chance.  

I've added more paintings, posters and works on paper to Gallery +
all will be available during the 10th annual Cleveland Bazaar.

Pretty on Pink when neutrals have lots of color

Pretty on Pink  Oil on wood  8" x 6"  SOLD

How much color CAN one work into "neutrals?"  A lot more than I thought.  Always something more to learn.