Expanding

The title applies to both art style and the purpose in my upcoming trip.

The painting at left was an experimentation, in trying to ramp up the detail and fill the whole support... not an easy trick in such an oddly-shaped "canvas". The resulting image is a Bengal tiger coming at you with full intent and purpose. He means business, and seems as though he's going to stride right out of that feather. This painting, "Prowl", a Bengal Tiger on a peahen's tail feather, is available at Fusions Gallery in Ocean Shores WA.

This painting had further purpose. It is the predecessor to another painting of a Scottish Wildcat. I'll be delivering that donation piece to the Scottish Wildcat Association in Edinburgh this summer, for purpose of auction later this year in supporting preservation and breeding programs. More on this later.

These highly elusive untamable creatures are critically endangered in Britain, and without help the purebreds in the wild may be lost forever in another ten years. About half again the size of a domestic cat and similar in appearance to a gray tabby, they are by no means anybody's housecat. Fierce and elusive, they have the reputation of being the only animal that can never be tamed. The pure bloods only number about 400 now, and can only be found in Scotland... they've been extinct from other parts of Britain for over 100 years. Their numbers are dwindling from habitat loss and from crossbreeding with feral domesticated cats. You can read much more about these beautiful felines and watch videos on the Scottish Wildcat Association website.