Painting Background

Recently I've rediscovered the joys of gouache paints, a medium I was first exposed to about a decade ago. In them I'm finding the freedom to experiment with different brush techniques and painting quickly as new ideas strike. After a few landscape pieces with mixed color theory work were completed I found myself struggling for a new inspiration and ended up painting my beautiful, sassy cat Alexstrazsa. I didn't do her justice but she was recognizable and I was thrilled. I quickly reached out to my mom, showing her my work. Next thing I new I was painting her cats, then my sister's, and other family members before putting the paints aside again. Then I was asked to paint dogs for a Christmas present, and I frantically threw in a homemade coupon for a painting for a gift exchange when I realized I'd forgotten it. By the end of the holidays I had more painting requests and still more to come. I was thrilled to see my style changing and my skill improving as I painted these pet portraits, their recipients always thrilled with their final paintings.