As most of you know who follow this blog, Hugo has come into our lives. He was simply irresistible to paint. I hope that you will enjoy this month’s blog as I share the story of Victor Marie Hugo and this painting, “Won Over.”

About a year ago, we lost our beloved kitty Sydney. He had come into our lives and blessed it extraordinarily. We all loved Sydney with all our hearts. But when he passed away, we needed time to recover.

This was particularly hard on Madeline. She yearned for another kitty. The boys were onboard; Vern wasn’t quite so sure. He was still recovering from cancer and was just focused on finding a little peace.

Each time Madeline came home, she would bring up the topic of a new kitty. I felt torn. But most of all, I wanted to honor Vern’s desires. So time passed, and we adjusted to life without a cat.

One day Madeline and I were out enjoying Fort Bragg. We decided to stop into a charity shop called The Ark Thrift Shop. This shop is a fun place to poke around and find the odd treasure. It also just happens to benefit the Mendocino Coast Humane Society.

We’d seen pets up for adoption there before, but it doesn’t usually feature too much in our experience while looking around there. Usually, they just have small kittens playing in an animal house cage. While I love young kitties, I had never been tempted to bring one home.

This day, however, I turned the corner and lost my heart…

Something about the serene, quiet presence of this beautiful domestic longhair cat instantly stole my heart. He was not demanding anything but a little peace and love.

It was close to closing time, so we had to anxiously wait until the next day to bring Hugo home. We had to go to the shelter and fill out the paperwork, etc. We almost missed him too. When we arrived at the shelter, we found out that another couple had inquired about our kitty and were considering taking him home. We were so very happy to hear that they were also interested in another cat and that, since we got there first, we could take Hugo home.

Vern was quickly won over. He has a heart of gold and loves pets as much as anyone. Madeline was over the moon with delight and helped us figure out all the details to get Hugo settled comfortably in our home.

Choosing to paint Vern and Hugo in this pose was a delight. It has been fun to watch Hugo gradually steal Vern’s heart.

The challenge was, of course, in the details. I really like the photos at a greater distance, but the love is seen closer up.

Here is a closeup of the nose and glasses area. I hope that you can see more of the details of the whiskers on both. LOL.

In this closeup I hoped to give you an idea of the layers of color in the fur and also how the texture was created.

Thanks so much for your support and continued interest in my watercolor journey. My greatest wish is that this blog will inspire you in your own journey. If there is anything I can do to be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Thanks, too, for leaving a comment. Your comments are of great encouragement to me.