“Studio Window, Autumn”, 5.5″ x 8.5″, watercolor © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

My Studio Window in Autumn

“Studio Window, Autumn”, 5.5″ x 8.5″, watercolor © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

“Studio Window, Autumn”, 5.5″ x 8.5″, watercolor © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

All the years I’ve been here I’ve loved my time in my studio, which was also once my foster room. I often remark how my cats enjoy spending time with me in my studio because they sense my own enjoyment of what I’m doing, and for frightened fosters not only can they sense that but I’m also in a typically non-verbal space, something they and all cats find very comfortable. Sharing my non-verbal self with animals, especially cats, has been one of my lifelong joys, and often a great comfort. My memories of cats sharing my studio with my felines, especially seeing them enjoy the view out the window, are very special.

From November 2014 when I created the sketch:

This really happened! Just this afternoon (Monday), and it’s both Mimi and Mewsette.

My studio is actually my spare bedroom, on the second floor. I call it “the treehouse” because outside the window are arching branches from my river birch coming in from the left and a tangle of branches reaching from my maple on the right, the neighbor’s dogwood as well, and behind most of it is my tall spruce. The house faces northwest, so in the mid to late afternoon the sun shines down on all those leaves, but the inside is in shadow; later the sun reaches to the windowsill and onto my drafting table.

I love to watch the change of daylight in all seasons, the pale greens of spring and dark greens of summer, the yellow, orange and red of autumn and the bare branches against the dark green of the spruce, and, of course, my cats. Today, first, Mimi joined me and sat on the windowsill to have a proper bath in preparation for an afternoon nap on my lap, and a little later Mewsette joined us and sat to watch the birds in the trees. They both sat in the same spot, but Mewsette is bigger, but Mimi turned her head the right way. So this is both of them.

I painted it later in the day, from photos and memory, applying the watercolor background first according to what I visualized—my trees are nowhere near that bright, only in my mind, but that is what I wanted, and the blue at the bottom for the cool shadow inside. The I referenced the photo for the feline figure, more or less, and the vase with brushes, more or less, since the cats and the vase with brushes are so familiar to me I barely needed the photos. I debated about the muntins in the window thinking they might be too harsh, but decided that was part of the charm of this old window, and would convey that idea to others who viewed it. My window has more bars, but they nearly crossed behind the feline face and went behind the brushes and I didn’t want that, so I moved them, keeping them a little off-center. I also used transparent layers of black instead of solid black as I have in other similar paintings—even though my first impression was of a silhouette, I could see it was not, and there was enough variation in the figures that I would leave some detail there.

And, as I like to say, that’s why we have art, so I can have it the way I want it. The doing of it ran very late because each layer of paint had to dry in between.

PURCHASE A PRINT

Studio Window, Autumn, Watercolor, original art is 5.5″ x 8.5″ ink and watercolor pencil on 40lb. watercolor paper, prints are made in archival inks on Epson Velvet Art Paper, Cold Press Digital Giclee Paper or Artist Canvas.

[ss_product id=’ada0fb46-9240-11e6-98d3-002590787d08′ ]Feline Artwork “Studio Window, Autumn”[/ss_product]

SHIPPING AND CHARGES

Shipping within the US is included in the cost of each print.

Prints up to 16″ x 20″ are shipped flat in a rigid envelope. Larger prints are shipped rolled in a mailing tube unless otherwise requested; flat shipping is an extra cost because it’s oversized.

FRAMED ORIGINAL

The original sketch is in on 40 lb. watercolor paper tinted with watercolor pencil and toned with washes of clear water. The original is matted with a cream black core top mat and a red black core bottom mat, framed in an 11″ x 14″ white wood frame 1.5″ wide.

I do all my own framing and can custom frame for you as well. Please ask.

GICLEE PRINTS

The giclees are printed on acid-free hot press art paper for a smooth matte finish using archival inks. Giclee is the highest quality print available because the technique uses a dozen or more ink ports to capture all the nuances of the original painting, including details of the texture, far more sensitive than any other printing medium. Sometimes my giclees look so much like my originals that even I have a difficult time telling them apart when they are in frames.

I don’t keep giclee prints in stock for most of my works. Usually I have giclees printed as they are ordered unless I have an exhibit where I’ll be selling a particular print so there is a wait of up to two weeks before receipt of your print to allow for time to print and ship.

DIGITAL PRINTS

Digital prints are made on acid-free matte-finish natural white 100# cover using archival digital inks. While digital prints are not the quality of a giclee in capturing every nuance and detail of color, texture and shading, I am still very pleased with the outcome and usually only I as the artist, could tell where detail and color were not as sharp as the original. Digital prints are only available up to 11″ x 17″ and some of the prints are cropped to fit standard mat and frame sizes.

Digital prints have at least 1/2″ around the edges depending on the size of the print. All are countersigned by me.

CANVAS PRINTS

Because the standard size canvas prints are not proportional to the original painting, canvas prints of this painting will have a portion cropped off.

I usually have at least one of the smaller sizes of canvases on hand, but order larger ones as they are ordered because I have limited storage space. Smaller canvases are a 3/4″ in depth, Canvases 12 x 16 and larger are 1-1/2″ in depth. I set them up so the image runs from edge to edge, then the sides are black or white or sometimes I slip in a color that coordinates with the painting. This canvas mirrors the edges of the image around the sides.

GREETING CARDS

  • Cards are blank inside but can be customized with your message for an extra charge.
  • Feline Fine Art Cards assort with all other 5″ x 7″ greeting cards (except custom printed cards) for a quantity discount.
  • Individual cards are shipped by first class mail.
  • Sets of six and twelve are packed in a clear-top stationery box. Price includes shipping via Priority Mail.

See other feline artwork in My Cats gallery and in Feline Artwork gallery.

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