Morning Becomes Annie ©2009 Karen Mathison Schmidt
6 x 6 • acrylic on Gessobord
SOLD • private collection, Poway, California
Here’s Annie, in her favorite spot to relax after an early morning breakfast. The way she was backlit by the summer morning sun streaming through the window, she seemed to be absolutely glowing.
I had a hard time with this painting at first. I finished one and was
thoroughly unhappy with the way it turned out. It was way too stiff and stilted. Plus, because her little face and her eyes are so round compared to most cats I’ve seen, it was really hard not to make her look like a person made up to look like a cat. Which she totally did in the first painting.
So I called do-overs, took a few minutes to freshen my palette and to pray sincerely for inspiration, and started over. This final painting captures the light much better. And she looks like a cat, too, not a little girl wearing cat make-up (whew!)
LOUISIANA ARTIST KAREN MATHISON SCHMIDT
