Sculpting on Snow Days

Well, at least the ice and snow has lead to a lot of creative productivity! I have been working on an elephant and a cat (may turn out to be a tiger...not sure yet). This is a photo of various parts...hands, feet, mini animals, etc. I hadn't sculpted hands in a few years, so it is good to get back into practicing the process and techniques. In the background, you can see one of my favorite children's books, The Last Elegant Bear by Dennis Kyte. It has the most wonderful illustrations...always a great source of inspiration.
I am hoping that I will be able to adhere all the parts together and do final touch ups this morning and then start painting and embellishing with ribbons and felt pieces.
I will also be working on some super fun, colorful, unique pincushions.
~~Have a great weekend, my SnipPet friends!~~

Does it get any cuter?

We have been snowed/iced in for days, so i have been very productive on my artwork...BUT i can't get ouside to take any photos of my new circus animals yet. So, I figured that I would just post a photo of one of my past kitten artist assistants. This is Miss Tiggy Winkle. How precious is she? She was one of our Atlanta rescues...she was in an animal control slated for you know what when i pulled her out along with 3 other random kittens.

Hope everyone is safe and warm right now!

Rabbit Sculpture in Process....

I have been working a whimsical rabbit figure over the past few days. These are photos (not the best, sorry!) of his head, body and arms. I am hoping to start painting him later today...the FUN part!! He will really come to life with some vibrant colors. I haven't done this type of artwork in quite some time, so it has been a challenge.

SnipPet paintings on sale in my Etsy shop!

I just put 3 of my SnipPet painting on sale....50% off!!! Pounce on them now :)!
www.thesnippets.etsy.com

SnipPet Girl T-shirt gets the paw of approval!

I am so excited! I just received a t-shirt that i ordered from www.customizedgirl.com ! I have been wanting to accumulate a wardrobe of items that promote spaying and neutering with my Sunny SnipPet Cat mascot, so that i can wear them when i am out TNRing...or want to approach other feral cat colony caretakers...or just feel like spreading the word when I am out and about. I think that it gives me some credibility and approachability and because Sunny SnipPet is so cute and cuddly, it gives a very serious topic more levity and fun.
My kitty, Rosie, gave it her paw of approval! And at this moment, my little Heidi is sitting on it. Well, it will definitely be blessed with a nice coating of cat hair :).

Back to Cat Chat

Last weekend, we were able to trap 2 feral female cats in our area...one that dines on our front porch and one from a nearby warehouse area. Yeah for those girls...no spring kittens for them! One is a tabby bobtail and the other is a silver tabby...both young but almost full grown. I will be working on getting the last few who frequent our porch very soon. Then, i have to hit the stockyards again and a big colony that lives behind a Burlington Coat Factory in town. I am thinking about starting a map of the cat colonies here so that i can document them and really follow what's going on. I think this would help in getting the city to understand the problem and provide us with a proper low cost, high volume spay/neuter clinic. We need one here desperately!!
These are photos of our back patio kitties. They were so scared of us when we first moved in 6 months ago and now they rarely leave the patio and love to be petted and given chin scratches :). Missy is the gray torti and those are her almost full grown sons, Magee and Joe B. We love them to death. I give them 3 meals a day and they have 2 feral villas, 3 soft cubbies and a down comforter to keep them warm.

Revisiting my past creations

I have really been missing the challenge of creating animal sculptures. A few years ago, i began a series of mixed media figures made with paperclay. The only reason i stopped this artistic adventure was because i had to get a "real" job to support my husband and I while he finished his PhD. I am itching to get back to exploring this type of art doll/sculpted work. Soooo, I thought that i would share some photos of these past creations.

I simply LOVE fairy tale and fable characters (animals, of course) and the feeling of Cirque du Soleil. I hope i can create some of the whimsy and magic that i feel from those inspirations.

I'll be posting "the process" of new pieces in the coming days. It will be fun to document how each piece evolves.

Running away with the circus....

Some deliciously colorful new ribbon and felt, a recently read book, old photos, past artwork and an ornament by a favorite artist....all perfect inspirations....

A Quiet Day of Inspiration....

I am really excited and anxious to sit down and get started on some new designs. My studio is cleaned, organized and ready for some creative action! Tomorrow, I will give you some clues about what I will be working on in the coming months. Happy Sunday!

SnipPet portrait of Maggie

I created this portrait before Christmas for a wonderful lady who is moving to Alabama from Arkansas for her dream job! She adores her cat, Maggie, and is a self declared "Bird Nerd" so i wanted to include a bird in the portrait. I chose the state bird of Alabama and included the state flower as well.

The SnipPet Girl is going to get back on the ball with blogging today!!

Wow! I have been a super slacker on blogging for the past month. I have been doing a lot of soul searching, reflecting on the past and looking to the future...just trying to find my life's purpose. I still can't answer that, but i do have a plan for moving forward and getting closer to that answer. There is no doubt about what my 2 passions are....art and animals...but i struggle with what i want to do with both, what will be most effective and what will make me feel happy and accomplished.
So, stay tuned. I am anxious to get moving on 2009's adventure.
The photo is an old one of some snoozing kittens i fostered awhile back, but it always makes me happy....