My cat the painter

So I was going to make this really cool post displaying all my must-have art and craft supplies...

---

But as you can see quite the distracting feline took charge. I had this colorful idea in my head that I'd do a display of tubes of paint, cans of sealant, spools of ribbon, containers of brushes, piles of scratch paper, and stacks of canvases and coolers. But as usual, my nosey little cat Penny got in the way of my blogging project. Don't get me wrong. I love this little ball of black, white and caramel fur...but she is just such an attention hog that I couldn't resist a photo shoot.. So ladies and gents, may I present to you: my cat, the painter. (ok, so she didn't really paint anything...but hey, she tried)

P.S. Up there you saw some images that show some of my must-have supplies and how I organize them! I bought a cute bamboo silverware caddy at T.J. Maxx (you should go) -- it's probably one of my favorite stores and guiltiest pleasures. Anyway, it was like 7 smackers and it's the perfect organizer for my paint pens! I use paint pens on almost every project. They are my #1 must-have supply! You will also see paint brushes, sparkly acrylic paint (a fun accessory paint!) and the always important and useful, scrap board (or paper)...I usually find some cardboard to doodle on, clean brushes or pens, or to protect surfaces from a paint mess! 

---

Blast from the past! And what inspires me...

So I think (I hope) it is evident from my work (if you have had the chance to peruse any of it) that I am a fan of the realistic style. I've always believed that even abstract artists must first master the art of realism. Ever since I was a little girl, I have strived to mirror real life, and have experimented with various mediums and subjects. Replicating the petals of a flower and leaves on a tree, or the grain of wood on an old barn were my favorites. I also enjoyed perfecting my skills at capturing the essence of a person's face in portraits. Since then, I've lost some of that drive to paint and draw for myself, but I think I've developed my own style of loose realism and transfer those same principles in the work I do for others. My custom designs and hand-painted items are typically focused on looking real. Logos, animals, outdoor scenes and products are a few of the things I paint on many different things for my customers. Because early on in life I taught myself (and learned from some great teachers!) to recreate things in a realistic way, I can now bring happiness to many people by painting them some awesome custom things!

Below are just a few things that I've found are inspirational themes in my life. Just very basic things that make me happy and make me think.

First place tessellation competition I won when I was about 13. 

http://worldofescher.com/contest/HallOfFame/allysonm.html

So this image is of a tessellation I did in 8th grade art class. It was submitted to an online contest, link listed above. M.C. Escher has always been one of my top artists, as I admire his genius in so many areas. He took the art of realism and applied it in a completely funkadelic way -- excuse my "Brady Bunch" language. I have a print of his hanging in my house, and I have always thought his work was so beautiful, simple, and mesmerising. Check him out if you haven't already!

Miss Penelope Elizabeth Redpants

Cats

Next up is one of my cats. The more you get to know me, the more you will find how much I LOVE cats. I'm not ashamed, and I am a self-proclaimed cat lady. I have two cats, and this little angel above is my Penny, named after my friend Katie Compton's pirate name -- Penny Redpants. My other cat is named Lady Eleanor Roosevelt Featherbottom and she is virtually undetectable to the human eye as she is an expert at hiding. The finicky nature of cats is what make them so fun to me, and the ever-developing personality of Miss Penny frequently causes me to laugh and puts me in the mood to paint. They're like little humans, I'll argue it til the day I die.

Flowers

I love flowers. Each unique, colorful, delicate and symbolic, I love them. I wish I kept more fresh flowers in my house. Flowers or a floral theme are often the subject of my work. This is a photo I took of a flower in a park in my hometown. Georgia O'Keefe is also a cool gal you should look into, this photo is very "her" I think.