Sparky is one of Sage’s kids, he’s got her long hair but is totally different personalitywise. Well, they both bite, so they have that in common as well. Sparky is big and beautiful, and he knows it. He walks around with his fluffy tail floating along behind him and poses strategically in sunny windows so his white ruff is lit up. Unfortunately he has lost a front upper fang, sometimes giving him a demonic, sneering look when his upper lip gets caught by his lower fang. He’s fairly sociable and would be happy to be carried around like an infant prince all day. Like some royalty, he has his mood swings and is also happy to sink his teeth into you when he feels like it.
Pogo (who you will meet later) is Sparky’s pal; they often snuggle together in the window seat at the top of the stairs, or wash each other’s face on the bed. One day I was sharing the window seat with them, looking through a book on Monet—seeking inspiration. I took a break, laying the book down, and came back to find Pogo resting his head on it. So the book inspired me, though not quite as I had planned. The result is “Monet’s Cats” which I feel is one of my very best works. You can also see this pair in “A Quiet Moment Between Two Friends” as they keep watch over the backyard.
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There’s still time to go see my paintings in the New Harmony Hoosier Salon gallery, they’ll be on exhibit through August 17th. The show is comprised of works by David Seward, JC Fang and myself. Twenty of my paintings are included, plus prints and note cards. It’s a really nice show, if I do say so myself. JC Fang does beautiful pictures of birds (and other subjects) and David Seward works in oils to create textured landscapes. I’ve got a variety of works there—a shaded country road, a sunlit still life, a snoozing cat. One of my personal favorites is the moonlit path that leads back through our woods. Stars hang overhead, and fireflies drift by, while the fog slowly rises from the hidden creek. You can almost hear the frogs and crickets.
Sage is another cat from Spencer, Indiana. She was one of three feral kittens we tried to capture and tame, having success with two. Sage looks like a miniature Maine Coon cat—long hair, tabby markings, fuzzy feet. She’s a shy kitty, friendly with us but quick to remind us of her wild side with a fast paw packed with claws.
Like many a young girl, I fell in love with horses. I read every horse story I could find—happily transported to the fields of Wyoming or the dusty race tracks of Kentucky. Joining up this passion with my other love—art—I learned to draw horses pretty well, from the delicate Arabians to the sturdy Belgians. But in the years since I’ve taken up painting I haven’t had much opportunity to put horses in my work—until now.
To anyone visiting my hometown of Nashville, Indiana, I recommend a visit to Gallery by the Green. It’s a unique little place tucked around the corner, a tiny bit off the trodden path on Jefferson Street. The two-story white frame house once belonged to the town’s doctor who had his office on the first floor. The place exudes history that you won’t find in slick city galleries.
But the heart of this gallery are Joe and Charlotte Gore, the artists and owners of this little gem. Everyone who stops in is greeted as an old friend, which many of the visitors are. Over the years, Joe and Charlotte have strived to fill their gallery with art and fine crafts that are unique to their corner of Nashville. Much of the art is produced by local artists, myself included. 
Okay, I admit it, one reason why I’m touting Gallery by the Green is because they have an awful lot of my stuff there. But obviously (hopefully) if you’ve found your way here it’s because you have some interest in my art and what I do. So what unique Monique treasures can you find at the gallery? Well, several paintings, prints and cards—many of which aren’t shown on my Web site, including tiny (2"X3") paintings! You’ll also find my hand-painted bookmarks, jewelry, and hand-painted wineglasses. With spring’s arrival, I delivered a bouquet of felted rose pins—they look great on a lapel or purse to add a dash of colorful whimsy. When the chilly winds blow, I bring in armfuls of thick, cozy scarves—hand crocheted with multiple yarns in an array of colors. Joe and Charlotte are amazingly willing to give most things I bring in a whirl—maybe they really believe in me as an artist, or could it be all the fresh eggs and flowers from my garden that I keep bringing them?
The last few days have been beautiful, blue sky sunny days. After the rain and storms, I just want to soak up that blueness. Looking around at the paintings I’ve done, I realize I’m very drawn to that blue sky—it’s just filled with such hope and joy, though I suppose some people might think it’s odd to equate the color blue with happiness. It’s no wonder it keeps showing up in my art, I guess it’s my way of sharing the elation I find in that expanse—one blue sky above us—as Pete Seger says. My brother once commented that I must go through a lot of blue paint—I suppose I do, just spreading the love!
Chessie at last gets her turn to be Cat of the Month. Here is her story... Several years ago while living in Spencer, Indiana, my husband and I took a walk down near the railroad tracks not far from our home. I seem to remember there was a small craft fair or something going on at the time. On the way back home, we discovered a skinny grey kitten entertaining a handful of people on the corner. She rolled around inviting belly rubs, just too charming to resist.
An informed young girl let us know the kitten was a stray and shared her fear that the kitten may wander off and fall into the nearby river. Hindsight tells me that of course the kitten would not have carelessly fallen into the river to be swept away. But we were easily swayed and scooped up the ball of grey fluff and took her home.
Later watching her sleep, we agreed she looked just like the railroad cat Chessie and that’s how she acquired her name. It didn’t take long for Chessie to fit into our household of kitties. As a youngster she developed a curious manner of flinging an arm over the shoulders of any nearby cat and vigorously licking the top of the other cat’s head. In her slightly crankier old age she’s more likely to swat than lick any nearby cat!
After the death of my beloved lap cat, Abby, I wondered which of our cats would step up to take over the evening lap-time ritual. That cat was Chessie—every evening after dinner she arranges her not so tiny self (the kittenish figure is long gone) on my lap for a few hours, stretching out her paw to touch my arm every now and then to remind me that hands are for chin rubbing, okay?
The May Cat of the Month is....a dog! Unable to control his boundless energy and enthusiasm, Rudi insisted on being featured. The cats, particularly Chessie who was next in line, are understandably disgusted.
The cats have not been pleased with this new member of our family, but Rudi is gradually fitting in. He's discovered the joys of long walks (his nose never stops exploring) and splashing in the pond on a warm day. And we've discovered the fun of playing fetch and trying to avoid those wet doggy kisses.
Spring is my favorite season. This winter has been particularly dreary,wet and grey. So with each hint of spring I cheer up a bit—the arrival of the robins and red wing blackbirds, the green grass and daffodils. Yesterday we finally had some sunshine and warmer temps. I was torn between painting and getting outside to work in the garden. I’ve been working on a series of Brown County landscapes, plus some more challenging still lifes—with several shows coming up I really need to keep my nose to the grindstone so to speak.
April brings us spring, which I always see as a time of new possibilities, of new beginnings. So it’s fitting that Rosie is the Cat of the Month for April, as she has been given the chance of a new beginning.
OK, this is a little late, but the cat of the month is ... drum roll please—Muffy! As I write this, she is happily squirming around on my lap, purring out her contentment. Muffy is around 17 years old and may or may not be Cricket’s sister. She and Cricket were born at my mom’s house just down the road, then moved with me to Bloomington and to Spencer and now we’re all back in Brown County where we started.
Muffy is a beautiful, cranky, sweet, very needy kitty. She makes her presence known with first gentle then ever more insistent taps of her paw on my pant leg. Anytime I sit down (and I mean anytime, anywhere) it is clearly an invitation for her to sit on my lap. When I am painting, she’ll often sit on the table that holds my palette and paints, inching closer and closer to me til I’m close enough to be poked by her paw—claws gently extended. I’ll put her down on the floor, she hops back up, over and over.
Muffy and 
We often get to see an artist's finished work, but don't usually get to see the steps leading up to the end result. So this time when I set up my canvas, I stopped every so often to take a picture. To keep it fairly simple, I've just included the basic progression. I started by mapping out what goes where- horizon line, tree, etc. Then I blocked in colors and shapes, eventually moving the tree a little and adding a second tree. When things were basically where I wanted them, I played with the sky- clouds, or no clouds? And I fine tuned the textures and details. The hard part was remembering to stop every so often to take a picture. Eric came up with a title, something I often have trouble with. Voila! All done.
