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Posted on 5/11/2026 4:18:32 PM
By Susan Gainen
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As Yet Unnamed Cat
ONE OF THREE: The first of the new Clowder of Three Cats to have a finished background woke me up this morning, demanding color and shine. Lucky for him, I have new #blackgesso and #highglossmedium and may be able to make progress in a day or two.
FINISHED BACKGROUND: One of the great joys of art-making for me is the practice of Painstaking Exuberance. Beginning with a pencil drawing, followed by a layer of clear gesso to set the pencil, then tiny (Number 1 or 0) paintbrushes and brilliant acrylic ink inside each shape, and, finally, an outline for each shape with a fountain pen with Carbon Black ink.
STILL NO NAMES AND NO FUR DECISION: Naming cats is tough. At least if they are real, playful, shy, mischievous, fast, slow, good at hiding, great at batting at strings and balls, and speedy at gobbling food, you have something to go on. These three guys are giving me the stink eye. Demanding fur and names, and giving me no help at all.
Posted on 6/17/2024 5:09:19 PM
By Susan Gainen
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Really Wild Flowers pencil drawing in progress
Really Wild Flowers: Start With Wretched Excess and Scale Up
Between 1985 and 1992, when I gardened in Baltimore on a tiny (26x92 feet) plot of land that had a house on it, I developed a garden philosophy: "Start with Wretched Excess, and scale up."
If it had a striking flower or if the flower had a wonderful scent, I planted it. There was no room for the scentless (this means you, Peace Rose). If I could make a wildly whimsical statement, I did it, and threw a hundred crocus bulbs onto the front yard, and dug them in. The next spring and in all of the following springs, they came up before the grass. The little lawn looked wonderful.
Really Wild Flowers Meet Painstaking Exuberance and Acrylic Ink
This painting is a clear example of Painstaking Exuberance, my painting process: make a pencil drawing, cover it with clear gesso, using a tiny brush, paint inside the lines with acrylic ink, and, finally, outline each shape with carbon black ink from a Platinum Brand Fountain Pen.
I began this painting in 2023 and came back to it in early 2024 when I needed to focus on tiny shapes and tiny spaces and to NOT be in a hurry. (Left: January 29, 2024. Right: June 17, 2024).
