Snow Light
Snow Light
Not coincidental with yesterday’s photo of my black kitty Mimi, who is mom to these two, this is one of my favorite photos of them, and of snow light in January. Photographing this family of black cats in everyday room light, capturing details in their fur while not overexposing the background, is a constant but exciting challenge.
Mewsette and Mr. Sunshine are simply so gracefully composed, and that grace and pose are completely natural. The cool light from the winter morning washes the background in cool colors, so the amber of their eyes and the art glass sparkles.
Nothing special, just brother and sister quietly sitting together looking out into the backyard from the second floor window. It’s one of the best vantage points in the house; from the top of the little armoire at the top of the stairs they can see into the two bedrooms, down the stairs and out the back window and, to a limited extent, out the front windows in the bedrooms.
I have many photos of my cats atop this pine wardrobe, but this is one of my favorite photos of that scene, and of my cats in general. You can find more photos of them on The Creative Cat.
All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.
Owl Eyes, 2010
Martha the Great Horned Owl
This is Martha, a Great Horned Owl rescued by the Wildlife Center at the Animal Rescue League Shelter and Wildlife Center of Western Pennsylvania. She’d apparently had one of her wings hit by a car as she was scavenging road kill, and the wing had begun to heal by the time she was rescued. A bird’s bones can’t be rebroken and set, so they just had to let it heal on its own, though the bone was twisted. She can’t fly so she can’t be released, but she’s a fairly willing demonstration owl for the Wildlife Center.
A Moment With Mewsette
A Moment With Mewsette
Mewsette has been spending time with me in the mornings in the basement, and is a perfect subject, just being herself, and holding positions for whole seconds at a time.
After all the photos I’ve taken by this basement door, do I need to say I love the light that comes in at this angle, the shadows and patterns? Add a cat, and nothing could be better.
This was my daily photo on The Creative Cat but I thought I’d like to share it here too. For more feline photos, visit The Creative Cat.
Kelly the Art Cat
Kelly the Art Cat.
I had to have one of my cats put to sleep today, my oldest, my last tortoiseshell cat, Kelly. Here’s a link to the article I wrote about her on The Creative Cat: Where’er You Walk, with links to lots of photos and sketches and articles about her.
Above is my favorite photo of her, her green eyes, her gentle face, her petite body, on her favorite windowsill watching over me as I paint.
I’ll be back in a few days.
Bird on a Fence
Starling on a fence.
Watching birds land and leave and land and leave in a popular bird spot can be mesmerizing. I thought I’d capture the starling in monochrome.
Black Cat Appreciation Day
Those Luminous Eyes
It’s Black Cat Appreciation Day—why not? We do that every day here with five black cats. I have lots of gigabytes of photos of black cats, but here is one that I love best, in part because of their eyes, Mewsette and Giuseppe, sister and brother. I may post another, who knows? We’ve been making the most of this holiday on The Creative Cat and at Portraits of Animals on Facebook.
On A Rainy Afternoon
On A Rainy Afternoon
Cookie and Mimi spend some cozy hours on the pile of pillows on my bed while the day fills with rain and fog outside the window.
I often think rescued kitties take a little time on bad weather days remembering the days before their rescue. I know Mimi does because this normally reticent kitty is suddenly following me around, loving on me, looking into my eyes and telling me stories. Cookie is not so obvious, but she thanks me pretty much all the time.
I don’t usually feature the same photo on The Creative Cat and Today, but this one seemed universal.
The photo was nearly colorless with the stark rain light, and there’s something about a contrasty image with overexposed highlights that just asks to be black and white, and so it is.
Kitten Energy
Fromage in Motion
How do you capture the essence of an energetic kitten? Here she is in motion, a little blur in her blurred surroundings as she goes about her busy day.
I have a household of cats and foster now and then. This little one was rescued by a friend, abandoned somehow at perhaps only two weeks old, her eyes newly opened and still a cloudy gray, and certainly not weaned. If she was to survive, she would need bottle feeding and lots of training, by a human who would take the place of her mom. Fromage was a hearty spirit, though, from her resounding shrieks the night she was rescued, and those are the ones who will make it against all odds. I handed her over to her forever home, a healthy, vibrant playful kitten. Read about Fromage on my other blog, The Creative Cat, in “A Little Baby Foster Kitten” and “A Little Life Saved“.
Enjoying the Autumn Sunshine
Window Silhouette 1
After photos of the splendor of autumn, a monochromatic photo of one of my cats enjoying the autumn sunshine. The wavy glass in this old casement window casts its own shadows and the stucco wall adds texture. And another view, below, as Giuseppe turned his head to ensure even coverage. I’ve got plenty of photos and paintings of my cats in the sun, but sometimes their shadows and silhouettes are just as telling.
Window Silhouette 2
What is it About Black Cats and Halloween
Ever wondered why black cats appear with witches and demons and skeletons at Halloween? The reasons are numerous, and when I studied English literature in college the story was that persons who had been cast out by their community for practicing non-Christian beliefs, including traditional healing, literally lived on the edge, in the woods, just like the witches in old fairy tales. And cats, preferring to live in more secluded places like this, tended to stay with these outcasts. Whether cats were considered, in part, evil because of their personality or evil because they tended to hang with suspected evil people isn’t really clear, but cats gained that connotation and were just as persecuted as the humans they accompanied.
But there are other stories, too, and not just about Halloween. I’d like to share with you an e-newsletter from a fellow member of the Cat Writer’s Association and author of 22 books on animal care, Amy D. Shojai. If you look on many books on ntural or standard pet care published by Rodale Press, or collections under the Chicken Soup for the ________ (fill in your favorite) label, you’ll see her name.
Please read through her valuable tips on animal emergencies and keeping animals safe at the holidays as well, then scroll down to the bottom for truly fascinating information: http://community.icontact.com/p/amyshojai/newsletters/petpeeves/posts/pet-peeves-issue-14! Keep those precious companions safe inside and away from the candy!
Today 