Two Heroes

There. It's done.

Some explanation behind this: about 2 months ago my beloved cat Chester was hit by a car. (The people who hit him had hit their dog the week before) Miraculously, he survived, but he had to undergo bone surgery for his hindleg hip and kneecap. I got to go home and see him over the Thanksgiving break, and he was doing amazingly well. He was still the wonderful, loving, and eternally purring fuzzball that I knew and loved, even though he was trying to re-learn how to walk. But, the day before Thanksgiving, he developed some kind of urinary blockage that my aunt (who is a vet) couldn't fix, and neither could the emergency clinic. They euthanized him the day before Thanksgiving.

God, I miss that cat.

He was the nicest animal I've ever known. No matter how much pain he was in, he never stopped purring--loud, like a motorboat. He was "my" cat, and my mom and I couldn't stop crying. He was young, too--only six. I miss him badly.

So I started doing this right after he got hit, and kinda stopped when it seemed like he was definately going to recover. And I've been working on it since he died. So, about three months in all.

The Fischer's lovebird was my first really beloved pet, Love. He died when he was 6, too (a long time ago!)--apparently that's a bad age for my pets. These two have touched me in ways that no other animal ever has, and I love them both very much.

I chose the jungle scene for a couple of reasons; one, Lovvie being a parrot, I figured he would appreciate that. Also, one of the interesting things about Chester was that he didn't look, conformation-wise, like a domestic cat. He had the build of a jaguar, and a jaguar's face (and a jaguar's gut, but I won't go into that. ) Anyway, so I thought that would be appropriate as well.

So here are my two heroes, free and wild as their hearts always were, traveling toward whatever lies ahead. This is a kind of closure, for me. I love you guys.

So, my first real painting in Corel Painter. 3 months, on-and-off, and 100+ layers. Ow. But you guys are worth it.

Safe journey. Godspeed. Walk in light. And wait for me.