The Trio and my top nine on Instagram

The Trio  Oil on panel, 8" x 10,"  SOLD

That's a bit of fun.  Apparently, these are my top nine posts to Instagram in 2018.  (@dianehoeptner) I'm glad to see some bunny paintings in the mix!  :)
"The Trio" was painted from a photo courtesy of LoveandHisses. 

Brother's Keeper, Love and Hisses

Brother's Keeper  Oil on panel, 8" x 8,"  SOLD

If you notice anything "extra" in today's painting and maybe several to follow, it's thanks to Robyn at Love and Hisses.  Robyn fosters kittens and cats from her beautiful home in Huntsville, AL.  She takes incredible photographs of them, romping, resting and doin' what they do in a relaxed environment. She has honored me with permission to use her photos as painting reference. Thank you, Robyn!! Find more of Robyn's kitty goodness on Facebook and Instagram. 
"Brother's Keeper" -- I am trying to avoid over blending! It's a hard habit to break. But I made some progress in that regard on this painting.  

Chillin' painting of an orange and white cat

Chillin'  Oil on wood, 8" x 8," NFS

A sleepy kitty today...  This one took nearly two days to paint.  I realized on the second day, my siennas/reds were too dark and proceeded to go back in with much brighter yellows to liven it up.

Sleeper

Sleeper  Oil on panel, 6" x 6,"  SOLD

On any given day at the shelter, you'll find most of the cats in a quiet state of drowsiness or deep in slumber. No wonder, as cats generally spend 16-20 hours sleeping. I didn't have the heart to rouse this one...  (See more sleeping cat paintings, here.)

This cat aka "Rebecca" now has an adoption profile on the Cleveland APL shelter website.  She'd make a great companion! Here's a link.

Hazel the sleepy cat

Hazel  Oil on panel, 8" x 8," SOLD

Happy with this painting and it's better in life. I need to paint more sleeping and/or dozing cats.  It is a peaceful thing to behold.  ...and we could all use a little more peace and quiet these days.   

Sleepy Spot II (and failed attempt at Sleepy Spot II)

Sleepy Spot II  Oil on wood, 8" x 8," SOLD

1st attempt, big fail oh yes

I tried painting "Sleepy Spot II' before. My first attempt was pretty lame.  I was off the mark on color and I didn't lay in enough middle tones to accentuate Spot's fur. Will attach photo to the left for your amusement. :)  That was a bad painting day, but today wasn't. I'm happy with this one.

Sleeps in Box

Sleeps in Box  Oil on wood, 6" x 6,"  SOLD

Dozing Waverly, Do you paint by value, color or shape?

Dozing Waverly  Oil on wood, 8" x 8,"  SOLD

I think it was Robert Genn who wrote in one his letters that he thought artists usually stress one of three approaches to painting:  1)  value  2)  color   3) shape.  He didn't discriminate against or 
encourage any of the three... but eloquently expounded upon the importance of all.  When I read that, I knew immediately my dominant approach to painting was value.  If I could just get the 
blasted light values correct, everything else would fall into place, or so I thought...  Time passed, I started adding patterns (and cats) to the mix and dare I say (alert the press, heh) I think that shape may be more of my focus now...  Fellow artists, I'm curious if you remember that letter (or identify with this concept?)  If so, have you noticed your focus/approach change?  Any comments, welcomed!

Deep Slumber

Deep Slumber  Oil on wood, 8" x 8,"  SOLD

Did you know cats sleep 16-20 hours a day?!  They are most active during twilight hours when predatory instincts kick in and energy is used for hunting, pouncing and stalking.