Tribute Painting

Why name this “Tribute Painting?” Let me get my kleenex, wipe my eyes and then share, gentle reader. And, while I’m doing that, here’s a warm welcome to returning and new readers, too. To learn about the purpose of this blog, check this linkie link here.

Kitty Tribute Painting

Here’s this week’s painting which is a tribute to our beloved, 17-year old, orange marmalade bundle of love named Oppie (short for Oppenheimer). It’s 2×6 inch gouache painting on cold press paper. And it’s not for sale. Read on and I’m sure you’ll understand why.

Oppie crossed the rainbow bridge this week. And, even though some might say he required a ton of work. Such as? Well, how about four kitty boxes and two oral medications twice a day. But ya know that’s what you do with old creatures, isn’t it? Especially when this one acted more like a dog than a cat. For instance, he could make a beeline to you as soon as you call his name. And, he even knew how to romp with dogs including Best Dog Ever.

Plus, he could tackle the road in our little camper with aplomb, finesse and a little ‘je ne sais quoi.” Here’s a picture of him in our camper earlier this year.

Paint and Draw What You Know

“They” say it’s a good idea to draw and paint what you know. Thankfully, Mr Oppie kitty would graciously pose for me. And, I sketched, doodled and drew him lots over the years. Here’s one of my favorite sketches of him from last year.

It’s strange and funny how much I remember about him thanks to this sketching practice. He had the pinkest little nose, secret whiskers and the boniest body ever at the very end. But he took the aging process in stride. I nearly forgot to mention his purring and head bumping practice. He had a constant purr and an artful way of giving head bumps to both David and me. These were his ways of asking for TLC, attention and, of course, food!

Oppie as Lazarus

This kitty had an incredible stubborn streak too. In 2014, just as we were getting ready to move up to Philly, he went on a hunger strike. We thought he was a goner then. Why? Because he stopped eating. Completely! For three days! Our wonderful vet gently prepared us as we attempted new and different moist kitty foods. Then on the third day, he ate a new flavor of canned kitty food. He may have been sick. Or, knowing him at that point, he was so bored with the food we were giving him that he just said, “STOP! Give me variety or give me death!”

Oppie Outdoors

You may think a big orange marmalade kitty might get bored being indoors all the time. Nope! Besides, he is (oops…was) as avid a bird watching fan as we are. And, not to get too preachy but he knows that outdoor kitties are one of the leading causes of the demise of birds. So, heck yes, we took him outdoors! But he never went outdoors without his very own harness and leash. Here he is earlier this fall, decked out in his colorful leash. Handsome, eh?

In The End

Sad to say that the end happened this week for our beloved kitty. But he has left us with so many cuddly and colorful memories filled with love. And, he is now across the rainbow bridge and reunited with his best-est buddy, Einstein.

And, we’re grateful for every single moment. After all, in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make, right? (He says he helped the Beatles write that line in a previous life. But that remains to be seen). Here’s that song to sign off for this year. If you have a favorite snuggly pet or person moment, please do share in the comments below. Thank you as always for reading here, gentle reader!