Cheetah

Seeing a big cat in the wild is always exciting. When I first saw this cheetah in the Masai Mara, I was in a hot air balloon  approximately 100 feet above him. What was particularly thrilling - he was chasing an impala and we watched him catch it!

At this stage in the painting, I have the loose distance background finished and his head mostly done. Some of his black spots on his back have been painted but none of the surrounding hair. His whiskers and the foreground grass I'll save for last.

I wanted to show you my easel. My husband built it for me and we discussed exactly what I needed and wanted. Most importantly, I needed a good hand rest for the center of my paintings. Not only is the oak hand rest ergonomic, it has great flexibility. I can move it into any position and I don't have to hold a mahl stick with one hand. On large oil paintings, it can take a while for the paint to dry and being able to work in the center of a wet painting is essential. In addition, I can move the painting side to side and up and down. For very large paintings, I can remove the side verticals for photos.
There are much fancier easels out there, but I would choose this easel every day.

Note: in the background of my studio you can see out the window. We still have lots of snow.