So my kitty, Taz, turns 11 months old tomorrow. It’s been so interesting watching her grow from a tiny, fiesty kitten…
…to a beautiful and loving cat.
In the nine months we’ve had Taz, my husband and I have both become completely smitten with her in every way. We’ve grown used to her little quirks (don’t touch her below the neck when she’s lying down, when she rubs against your legs she wants to be picked up), and she’s become used to ours (when the alarm goes off at 5:30, it’s time to rush into the bathroom and roll around on the rug while I brush my teeth, and the sound of the bread box being opened means she’s about to get some ham as I make a sandwich).
So maybe it’s not too crazy that I’ve decided to start the Taz Museum of Art. Or maybe I should call it the Museum of Taz Art, because that’s exactly what it’s shaping up to be! While perusing all the wonderful handmade goods on Etsy recently (one of my favorite things to do), I discovered a veritable plethora of artists willing to immortalize your very own pet in pen & ink, watercolor, acrylics, oils, clay and pixels, just to name a few. All you do is send photographs of your furry darling, and they go to work! How fun is that? So even as I type this, there are artists recreating Taz in their own style all over the world!
I received my first Taz art today from Phoebe at happycreations4u, who makes THE most adorable clay critters I’ve ever seen, “Whimsicats.” Check it out, how cute are these???
She made a Whimsicat of my Taz and only charged $1.25 extra for custom! How amazing is THAT!? I love this so much I’m about to burst.
It came wrapped in pink tissue and tied up with ribbon and a darling clay heart; such a lovely package and such a thrill to open! I can’t recommend Phoebe enough and she has lots of adorable Whimsicats to choose from, even if you don’t want one that looks like your own sweet kitty. (But really, how could you resist?)
One artist I admired (but, alas, couldn’t afford) paints your pet on canvas and then adds all kinds of fun things (beads, tarot cards, ribbon, etc) to make a mixed-media delight. Inspired, I decided to make my own mixed-media canvas of Taz. Since I can’t draw worth a lick, I decided to use a photo of her for the main image. Making it was so much fun, I couldn’t resist doing two more! They went really fast. I used acrylic paint, rubber stamps, stickers, rub-ons, colored pencils, glass mosaic tiles, rhinestones, ribbon and lace trims, charcoal pencil and Stickles. They aren’t my most “artistic” pieces, but they were super fun and I like the whimsical effect!
Studio Rose 