Blog
Posted on 10/25/2022 2:20:41 PM
By Susan Gainen
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Strawberry and Kiwi Curlew from the Starry Night Family
GOING BIG A few weeks ago, I said out loud that I wanted to paint a "big" canvas. Where would I get one? Fortune smiled, and I noticed a 3x4-foot canvas leaning against my easel. And, I said, "I'll paint a cat in the Starry Night universe."
GOING NOWHERE I prepped the canvas and created full-sized paper for the cat drawing. Then, nothing. For 10 days. I looked at hundreds of cat images on my hard drive, reviewing hundreds of cats that I'd painted. Nothing. No cat spoke to me (except Max-the-Cat who wanted to sit on the porch). I was terrified and frustrated.
LISTENING TO THE CURLEWS As you may know, I live with a veritable galaxy of Whimsical Creatures, many of whom speak to me often. For the past three months, I've been painting whimsical curlews (Strawberry, Kiwi and Orange - yet without feathers), and THEY spoke up this morning. "Paint a Purple Curlew! A Big Purple Curlew!" Inspiration and direction -- at last. Who could argue with Curlews?
Below from left: Strawberry Curlew, Strawberry & Kiwi Curlew (cousins, of course), and Orange Curlew expecting her feathers.
