So, over the summer, I met a cat... in fact, I found myself keeping the company of two fancy felines, although both ended up finding great homes elsewhere.  One was a tiger named Tsukiko, and one was a furry little man named McReady (pronounced McReedy).


Here's McReady.  He's the most fun little man on four legs with whiskers since my little buddy Merlin (my old cat) who he both resembles and whose spirit he seems to embody with a little quirky twist that's all his own.  If you're aware of or if you knew my buddy Merlin, then you know just how cool a cat McReady must be because Merlin was also his own man and an excellent cat :)  However, we have absolutely no need for four pets.  So, when we found out that our good friends Garre and Greg were thinking about bringing a kitten into their little family (they also have an awesome 3-legged lab mix named Steeler, who is also his own man), we were ecstatic.  Steeler and McReady have become fast friends!  Not only had we found an awesome home for McReady, but we can visit him now and even pet-sit when they go out of town!  Our furry ladies are always a little more lively when he comes to play and they're always up to some kind of mischief... it's pretty entertaining.

McReady showed up in July right as I got Tsukiko.  He simply came out of the bushes and began following me around like he owned the place.  However, no matter how distractingly funny and cute he was, there was a much bigger cat that demanded my attention.

Tsukiko, a beautiful life-size tigress, is my fibreglass tiger that I painted for the UofM Centinial celebration.  100 tigers have been painted or aesthetically manipulated in celebration of UofM's "Tiger's Around Town" and I was fortunate enough, thanks to the heads up from my friend, Heather, to be a part of it.  She sat in our carport for about two weeks, one of which I was out of town for, and then, after a long, hot, and sweaty week, she blossomed into the beautiful and exotic lady that I knew she could be.

I had a blast doing this project which simply confirmed the fact that I need to keep challenging myself and carrying out ideas that so often get lost in the shuffle.  I'm going to get a new sketchbook.  For some reason, it's been a while since I have started a new one, so needless to say, I can't wait to go buy one.

If you want to find out more about the "Tiger's Around Town", click here.  There's going to be an "Unveiling" on Sept. 10 between 11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. when all the tigers will be exhibited.  I can't wait to see all of the different tigers, I know they'll be amazing!  Also, I know a few of the other artists that worked on tigers, and I can vouch for their awesomeness as well, so you should definitely come check it out if you can!