Brazen Bobcat

Featured Painting:

"Seeta"

Acrylic paining on 5"x7" canvas panel--NFS

Artistic License are the words to remember when looking at this painting! I used a lot of it, but it was fun to paint. Last year my husband was literally ten to fifteen feet from a bobcat and the cat wasn't giving an inch. Someone had probably been bow hunting and did a poor job of tracking the deer they shot, which died not far off a main road. When my husband saw it, the bobcat was sitting on top of it. He got out of his vehicle and carefully approached the pair. The bobcat very slowly stepped only a few feet away then sat down with the definite air of, "I am NOT giving this up! You know it's winter don't you?!" My husband grabbed the deer by the back legs and dragged it further off the road, where it was much more difficult to see by passersby. This gave the bobcat a much safer meal. It was definitely unusual for one of these usually reticent creatures to be so adamant about his "catch" and had my husband watching his back as he dragged the deer!

Almost The Last Day of January

Featured Painting:

"Patriots"

Acrylic paint on an 8"x10" canvas panel--$125

Oh dear, I've gone over two days without an entry! It's been a busy couple of days but I am SO happy it's Friday again! I have been working on a self-portrait (with a lot of artistic license involved!) and have only had an hour or two each night to paint. It should be done tomorrow and then I will return to my valentine projects!
It is actually some pretty spectacular weather in Arizona this week. Icy cold nights and mornings, scraping the frost off the windshields and watching our breath as we drive to work, however the days are worth it! Crystal clear and mid 60's. Unbelievably warm for January! The geese have been heading south this entire month. I was on my way to see a movie tonight when I saw a grey heron winging it's way across the sky. They are so beautiful and it looks like they expend such little effort, barely flapping their wings up and down. I'm hoping to do some hiking this weekend and get more reference photos. Maybe you'll see some of them in creations over the next few weeks!

My featured painting is one I completed, I believe, last year titled "Patriots". I love how wonderfully colorful these Arizona birds are and they have no qualms about perching on the same hand together!

Cheetah At Heart

Featured Painting:

"Cheetah At Heart"

Acrylic paint on 4"x 6" linen canvas panel -- $99

It was a very icy cold day today! Most people think desert when they think Arizona. However it is always funny when someone comes to visit in the winter and sees snow on cactus. You can see some folks brains start short circuiting! So yes, it does snow in Arizona. Typically the northern portion (Flagstaff area) gets the most and even has a great ski lodge (Snow Bowl) with occasional snows in central Arizona (Sedona/Jerome areas), and then there are those rare but heard of snows in southern Arizona (Phoenix etc.). Today it was cold enough to snow but no water in the air. I know all of you up North have FEET of snow on the ground.

Well today I painted Cheetah at Heart. If you look carefully at her coat you will see heart shaped spots. This one is dedicated to the upcoming Valentine's Day. (My daughter, tongue in cheek, calls this "Singles Awareness Day"). She was great fun to paint and I hope to do another in a similar style tomorrow. (My monitor is showing this image pinker than it is so keep this in mind when purchasing.)

Mondaze

Featured Painting:

"Papa Bear"

Acrylic paint on a 5"x 7" canvas panel -- $79
It's a wonderful, just slightly drizzly Monday morning. The weather channel said it wouldn't hit until this evening. It's gorgeous as it gives depth to mountains and red rocks and so much lighting contrasts.

This is my newest piece, "Papa Bear". Bears are incredible creatures that some people seem to confuse with "teddy bears". (Spell that grizzly man.) They are huge WILD animals, and so much more imposing in real life. Recently a 200 pound black bear "cub" was found treed at a local park. He was tranquilized and relocated to a safer environment. It is so unfortunate when city folk see bears and assume the will "pose" for photos. Fortunately a local police officer spotted the bear and kept lookie loos at bay until the cub could be freed in the woods to grow up to be a huge papa bear!

Freedom

Featured Painting:

"Freedom"

5"x7" acrylic painting on linen canvas board -- $45

This painting began as a doodle created at a meeting that I wrote about in my last posting. This is the finished product. Very simple without much detail but a very clean, bright, enjoyable piece to look at. In shades of red/white and blue, the red horse is leaping over the clouds with a bright yellow sun lighting its way. The white clouds are lined with silver.

Thank Goodness it's Friday!

Featured Painting:

"Cocky Joe"

4"x6" acrylic painting on canvas panel -- $99

I have a friend who goes by the name "Rock Holliday" and was a regular extra/actor for the old west HBO series "Deadwood". He has two beautiful paint horses. I did this painting of one of them named "Cocky Joe" who is an absolutely beautiful proud horse. Very much everything his name implies!

I am definately looking forward to this weekend. Why is it when we have an extra day off during the week, it seems all the longer because of it? Probably because we are trying to pack 5 days of
activity and productivity into 4!
I've also started another painting and will give you postings as it is created. You'll recall I had to sit through a 4 1/2 hour meeting earlier this week. During that meeting I doodled a sketch on the pad I was taking minutes on (see left). I then transferred the image to a 5"x7" linen canvas and began painting it (see right). Hopefully it will only be a day before it is complete as I would LIKE to do a painting a day though I can only commit to one a week due to my calendar.

So Happy It's Thursday

Featured Painting:

"Plains King"

Acrylic on a 4"x5"x 1/2" wrapped canvas
Mini Painting--$49

This is a different piece than others I have shown. I enjoy impressionism however lean more towards realism, using the actual coloration for the animal. This buffalo just begged for vibrant contrasting colors!

Featured Painting:

"Full Attention"

Mountain lion painted in acrylic on 5"x7" canvas board -- $99
(Please remember the paintings are always more stunning than shown as monitors are not always accurate in their representations and reflections of the light varnish used to protect the painting are shown in scan.)


Oh my, today was a looong day. Not only am I an artist, I am also an administrative professional. I work with a City Manager, Mayor and Council Members. Tonight was a regular Council meeting that lasted for 4 1/4 hours. That is a looong time to sit on one's tailbone! :) Out after 10:00 p.m. (and up at 6:00a.m. the next day!) does not give me enough time to be creative before bed! The wonderful surprise was when my husband walked into my office early in the morning, having decided to skip work, with a dozen red roses in his hand and a lunch date on his mind!

I have another recent mini-painting displayed. This is a mountain lion, fairly common in my neck of the woods.

We have had two recent attacks on domestic animals by a mountain lion, which is not unheard of in rural areas. When two eco-systems coincide, and sometimes "invade" the other, such meetings are bound to occur. The best defense against this is education. Farmers and 4-H students keep their animals penned and small dogs/cats are kept closer to home. When an easy meal is no longer available, or more difficult than they are worth to obtain, the young mountain lion will move on to a more successful hunting ground. It is simple nature.

A Day Off

Featured Painting:
"Of Two Tribes"
Impressionism-Acrylic painting on sheepskin. $500


This is actually a day-off for me!
I was so excited when I realized it is a day uncommitted, where I can paint (and cook or clean or surf the web) as much or as little as I wish! I decided I would do another entry and share some thoughts. (And I won't talk about the inauguration or the Cardinals game!)

I was looking through some pieces I had painted over a year or so ago and thought I would display one here. It is acrylic paint on sheepskin in a native American fashion. Its inspiration was my husband. We were two very different individuals which, as time passes, we find ourselves more and more similar. We both love the outdoors and are as comfortable in the desert or woods as in our own bed. The tiger represents his regal manner and ability to protect me from the evils of the world. The cheetah is delicate and slightly aloof, but sitting close. In the animal kingdom, my love for the cheetah is second only to the wolf and I do hope all the conservation efforts currently underway save this beauty from extinction.

My First Time!

FEATURED PAINTING:

"Grey Wolf"

5"x7" acrylic painting on canvas panel -- $99

Impressionism -- If interested in purchasing any of my paintings, please contact me at paintingwolf@gmail.com.


Yes, it's true. You are present for my first time! Using a Blog! I've been in the artist world since the age of two or three and this is a new window to my world.

My artist name is Seeta Anarishkwa (see'-ta a'-naw-rish'-kwa). This means "fire wolf" in Wyandot, my husbands ancient native tongue. (There is no word for "painting" so I have settled with Seeta instead.)

I have displayed and sold works through many venues, including national art shows, art competitions, displays at City Hall in my home town, community service projects (I recently painted a skate board park to deter graffiti and it is working so far!) and the ever popular e-bay. I enjoy painting wildlife most, and the female figure. I love placing animals in unusual scenes and using fantasy situations. Most of my art is in acrylic paints though I also use prismacolor pencils, water colors, pencil and pen & ink.

Though I opened the Seeta Anarishkwa studio nearly three years ago, a bout with a now defeated cancer put it on the back burner for quite some time, allowing me to create and display my works only occassionally. I have made it a priority to post at least a painting a week through out this new year and will also display past works.

As I enter your world and you enter mine, I will post more paintings and hope you see something that touches you and invokes some passion. And if you feel like buying something, better still!