Sydney is one of my own beloved cats, adopted several years ago from a local shelter, who has turned out to be one of the sweetest, most affectionate animals I've ever met--although I've seen his patience frazzled occasionally by the relentless attentions of my kitten, Widget, but the little one's been known to try my patience too, so fair enough... Sydney has what's known as "chinchilla" coloring, which means, while he appears to be black at first glance, his undercoat is actually bright white.

This image is a new departure for me, as it borrows its textures and brush strokes from a charcoal-style vernacular, rather than my usual watercolor style--I like the richness and increased drama that this allows, and intend to experiment more with this style. This painting is approximately 10" x 12". A custom portrait like this would cost about $75.