Painting a Leopard

African Leopard, Kruger National Park, Oil on canvas 14" x 21" c Katy Widger May 2016

This is a wild leopard from Kruger National Park in S. Africa.  While not labeled as endangered right now, many species of leopards are critically endangered.  Since he's a wild fellow, not a resident of a zoo, he has no "name" to identify him as an individual.  But, in God's eyes, he is an individual, and he does have a name.  I am so glad that there is a National Park in S. Africa where he can roam free and live his life as a wild leopard, apart from confinement and the imminent threat of extinction, or bullets, traps, poisons and snares, an unnatural death at the hands of man.  

Credit to Marna Buys for reference photo on Photos for Artists.

Pet Portrait Contest! Please Vote!

"Joy Ride" 16" x 24" oil on canvas C Katy Widger

"Wyatt's in the jump seat, Zeke likes to drive on our way to the Dog and Soccer Park in Edgewood, every day possible!"

Dick Blick Art Supplies is hosting an online Pet Portrait Contest. Winner gets $300 worth of art supplies and some good national publicity.  I'd sure love to win this, mostly for the publicity, but the art supplies are very nice, too.

You can vote for this painting using this direct link http://bit.ly/1s1gUAu starting today, May 23 through May 30. You can vote every 24 hours until then!  Please vote!  It just takes a second to click on the link, and then click on the "vote" tab.  No need to leave name or email; you can vote anonymously!

You can also see a darling TV interview featuring Wyatt (and me) on the Morning Brew with Larry Ahren's here on YouTube:  The Morning Brew with Larry Ahrens featuring Katy Widger and Wyatt   Wyatt was a real character, as usual, and everyone in the studio wanted to meet him afterwards!  If only dogs could talk!  

MasterWorks of New Mexico 2016

My previous piece, "Blood Moon Offering" was juried into this prestigious show featuring the best that New Mexico artists have to offer!  This is the fifth time I have entered Masterworks, and the third time I have been juried in.  It is notoriously hard to get into! It's quite a honor and I greatly appreciate the opportunity and the recognition.

Blood Moon and Egg Thief

Blood Moon Offering 26" x 30" Oil on Canvas

I've been planning these two paintings for some time now, working out the design, size and background.  The raven in Blood Moon Offering is from a great photo by Gordon Vanus, taken in bright daylight with blue skies ( I added the sunflower and Ken took the moon shot).

I was still unsure as to what the background on Blood Moon Offering was going to be, but I had already painted the raven and the sunflower onto the canvas in gray tones when the Lunar Eclipse happened the evening of Sept 27th.  I watched the moon transform herself as Ken took picture after picture on the tripod, and soaked up the deep mystery of the night sky. The next morning, I knew exactly what to paint.  Had to change the colors of the raven from bright daylight to deep, dark night.  Used a very limited palette of alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue in the night sky, with a touch of ochre brushed into the distant mountains, far below.  The moon has red and yellow cadmiums along with the purple from the sky.  No tube black in the raven, just deep purples.  This piece just got juried into Masterworks of New Mexico which will exhibit starting April 1 in Albuquerque, NM at Expo New Mexico.

"The Egg Thief" 30" x 26" oil on canvas copyright Katy Widger 2016

The Egg Thief is a  soft morning sky in summer with ultra and cerulean blues, quinacridone magenta and cad yellows.  No tube black in this raven, either.  This raven pic shot by my husband, who set up a "blind" and waited patiently for hours on several days, "baiting" our resident raven with eggs in order to get the shot. Actually, he took a whole video of this raven, landing on a post, picking up the egg, dropping it then catching it in his beak and taking off, all without breaking it! Quite amazing to watch!  How strong, yet how precise and controlled their beaks are!   He knows my husband and comes to get his egg on a regular basis, now, less wary but still unwilling to have his picture taken, like most ravens. You have to pay your models!

Western Bluebird on a Metal Post

Western Bluebird on a Metal Post  oil on canvas on board 14" x 11" copyright K. Widger

Late spring in Edgewood, a male Western Bluebird sits on a metal post not far from the nest box, watching over his growing family of nestlings.  He faithfully catches insects and deposits them in the waiting beaks of his little children, and takes turns with his mate as she takes time out of the nest box to feed herself.  He is so faithful and dedicated to his family and an inspiration to fathers everywhere!

Evening Flight

"Evening Flight" 18" x 36" Oil on Canvas copyright 2015 K. Widger

Finished!  Signed and photographed, framed and ready for entry into next juried show! Will also be showing this at The Watermelon Gallery in Cedar Crest, NM.  Really enjoyed painting this one.  It was a challenge, but I'm very pleased with the way it turned out, especially the cranes.  Strived to get the anatomy correct and their flying formation accurate, as the cranes lift off from their watery refuge at the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge in Socorro, NM.

Morning Praise

"Morning Praise" 20" x 20" Oil on Canvas copyright K Widger 2015

 Morning breaks with first light of the sun, that soft rosy glow that eases over the eastern horizon, then sparkles with the dew, like opalescent rainbows on the new day!