26/04: ANOTHER CAT - PASTELS ON FISHER 400

I haven't posted for a while as my stepson (Richard)  had a nasty motorbike accident on 18 April and was airlifted to Royal London Hospital where he remains in a coma.   The broken bones in his leg were pinned/plated last week and the wiring of his facial breaks is scheduled for tomorrow.   We are all waiting for him to wake up/open his eyes so the doctors can assess the brain damage/eyesight.    There are minor glimmers of hope each day and in response to the nurse shouting and prodding him, Richard has opened his eyes very briefly on a couple of occasions now

When not visiting the hospital we've been trying to carry on as normal (whatever that is) - David has been tiling one of our bathrooms and he has, today, set up a website to keep Richard's friends/family updated with news as we get it and also to try to raise funds for the Air Ambulance Service who transported Richard to hospital so rapidly.

the site is http://www.getwellrichard.co.uk/  hopefully he will be able to post some more positive news soon

To fill time I worked on the last of the cat pictures I hope to exhibit at the Society of Feline Artists exhibition in London (August).    These are the work-in-progress pics.   Unfortunately, to get us out of the house today we decided to take all 4 pictures to the framers to discuss mounts/frames.  I ended up leaving the pics with him, and have now realised none of them has been signed and I hadn't photographed the last stage of this one (with his whiskers).     I won't be collecting the pictures till June and will try to photograph them in their frames at that time.

The picture is A3 sized - pastel on Fisher 400 paper

He really does look soooo much better with whiskers - but you get the idea I hope :)

Now, despite my resolution not to undertake new commissions for the next few months (unless it is a voucher redemption or a work already scheduled in) I've agreed to do a pastel portrait for my farrier.  He has just lost his beloved dog to peritonitis and says it is worse than losing a ten year old son as  'Rocky' was always with him at home and at work.     I have previously drawn Rocky in cps as a gift for my farrier's daughter and luckily have still got some of the original ref photos.   At this time, I'm finding my art to be very therapeutic and the best way to pass the time whilst waiting for news from the hospital.