'Our Angel'
Last September our lovely cat Angel passed away. We only had her for a year after inheriting her from an elderly relative who himself had passed from a longstanding illness. We did our best to love and be loved by her, but just over a year since his death she went to go join him.
I had been sitting on this one for a few months and finally decided to finish it in time for Christmas so I could have it printed and framed as a gift for my family.
It was a very different experience when painting it than any of my other pieces. Taking all that I remembered and loved, the specific texture of her dense but soft fur, her eyes would turn turquoise in the light, how she always had the gentlest expression even though she could be quite growly and grouchy.
I did my very best to capture the love she showed us and how much we loved her in return, even though it was so brief. She was never really ours to begin with, however, we were just catsitting and she's been picked up to go back home by the one she loves most in the world.
No matter what this past year had thrown at you, I wish everyone the best for 2025.