This is the story and “play-by-play” photos of how a realistic cat portrait came to be, combined with a great deal of esoteric musing about frequencies of color and sound, and how these relate to an artist’s realistic communication.

This portrait could not have been completed as it is without a combined effort of shared thoughts and desires. I am very grateful to our Father and my Collector for enabling this painting's successful completion!

Communicating with Frequency

Color is frequency. Light is visible sound. Good frequencies create beautiful, intricate shapes and patterns. I believe when color is effectively used, communication is enhanced and others can see and feel a clear message.

There is a tremendous amount of interplay and communication going on between colors in any painting. In the media of watercolor especially, colors are slowly layered on top of each other and the colors on top of this thin stack of washes change and deepen with each layer because watercolor is a transparent media.

For example, painting a blue wash on top of a yellow wash makes green. Laying down a red wash on top of this green can make a grey.

Communication means the transmission of anything…while Communion means the joining together of hearts and spirits…these words have a lot of similarity and they relate to what a realistic artist is working to achieve.

Years ago, I once remarked to our pony veterinarian, Dr Tom Stuwe, “You must really love helping and being with animals.” He replied, “I’ve never had a sick animal call me yet.” I realized this kind man was as skilled at helping and calming the often distressed animal-owners as he was the injured or ill animals! He was an excellent communicator.

What We Cannot See Still Affects Us

Many who know me in real life are aware of my growing fascination with the invisible realm.

Over the last few years, the world containing God’s Spirit, as well as our spirit and soul (mental thought, will and emotion) has become more and more important to me.

At the same time the focus and interest in physical or visual things has somewhat faded due to my many travels and moves. I rarely seem to be in the same place as my remaining possessions and have realized I really don’t need a lot of physical “things” in order to live well and joyfully. The Spirit of Yah and the Natural world outdoors is thankfully everywhere I have stayed, and provides me great comfort.

Bonghan Ducts and the Human Biofield

People live out their physical lives inside of an unseen “bubble” - or toral field - extending out around our body and filled with invisible electrical connections. This is now known as the “human biofield”.

Anything having an electrical current running through them, people, animals and plants included, have this same living and active biofield around their body.

Recently I learned about "Bonghan Ducts".

Bonghan ducts are understood to be a type of circulatory and information system attached to our bodily electrical meridians, and found all over the body, floating inside and on the surface of our organs and lymph system. This duct system is thought to be a web of electric communication and made of a material too tiny to see with the naked eye. This Bonghan Duct material, containing matter, energy and information is also thought to be outside our physical body, in the plasma realm.

We perhaps don’t consciously realize how much our body is constantly communicating with itself and others, via digestive, respiratory and other hormone systems, combined with enzymatic reactions and electrolytes…I find these anatomical details fascinating.

All our bodily organs and tissues exist, repair and regenerate with syntropic unity on a moment-by-moment basis through different frequencies and functions Yah has designed, which are generated externally by both the power of the sun, and His aether spirit, carried and passed along through the air, the earth’s Schumann resonance, the negative ions found by running water, and I imagine even by sources like a tree's process of photosynthesis, catalyzing light energy and allowing leaves to turn carbon dioxide into breathable oxygen; plus healing and regenerating soils through thunder-and-lightning storms.

We also internally generate life-changing frequencies through our thoughts, words, actions and emotions. Our frequencies can be felt and analyzed by others – plants, animals and those of mankind.

When I paint realism, I have an opportunity to “touch” and “feel” an enormous degree of fine communicative detail on a color-coherence level. This is the reason why I mix as many of my own color shades from a small amount of primary colors. For instance, I used the same blue in the sky to mix the brown in Mittens’ coat.

 
The Average Scalar Frequency of Cats

While I’m not a genius when it comes to grasping the science of what’s going on in the invisible realm, I have seen diagrams of standing hertz sound waves for AM and FM radio, studied a bit about the vast range of other sound waves and understand there are many which can be heard and even seen by animals, but mankind has either lost this sensitivity or was not meant to see them easily.

My understanding of scalar frequency (also known as “zero point energy”) is small, but I “get” that scalar frequencies extend out from the center in circular waves, like the ripples a pebble creates when dropped on calm water.

Scalar waves contain and store information. LOTS of information!

I’m told Cats, in general, have a lifetime scalar frequency around 400 – the level of Intellect or Analysis. While the always generally tail-wagging, happy-to-see-you Dogs tend to resonate at 500 scalar frequency – 500 is known by one researcher as the Flow state.

Cats and Dogs have a higher frequency than many people, who have been measured, collectively, to exist and live at the lifetime overall scalar frequency of 100 - Fear and Worry; or even 75 - Grief and Sorrow. To me, this knowledge means it is becoming more and more imperative for the Holy Spirit’s healing presence to be accepted and received! People, worldwide, are in great need of Faith, Hope and Love!

Communication with Folks who Commission a Painting

I came up with a simple “marketing plan” several years ago. I made up a poster, explaining I paint realistic dog and cat portraits and hung them on a few Veterinarian bulletin boards. Time passed. Several years went by.

Then a young woman emailed me, saying she had seen one of these posters. She requested a dog portrait to give a friend who had recently lost his loved service animal. I painted this dog and she was pleased. A year later, she again contacted me, asking if I was still painting.

Her cat, Mittens, had died at the age of eighteen a few months earlier. She had raised Mittens since she was a kitten. My collector explained the details and I cried, sensing the importance of this loss in her life.

We discussed price and size, then the painting planning process began, with Mitten’s owner sending me several photos of her loved animal. In all, over the course of two months, I think we exchanged fifty-seven emails before her portrait was completed to my Collector’s satisfaction!

This is what Mitten’s backlit main reference photo looked like when I began:

Creation, for mortals, requires problem solving. And the Watercolor media, more than perhaps other opaque media, particularly requires planning ahead and thought on how to capture the essence of the subject matter.

I offer “satisfaction guaranteed” on all my portraits. This means if the Collector doesn’t like the end result, I won’t be compensated for my time. This gives me great motivation to paint a good piece from the start!

When I painted this piece last November, I had an injured atlas bone in my neck, which affected the sight in my left eye, I was also having trouble looking down and focusing with my other stronger eye…but I greatly needed paying work.

Take Small Steps Forward Daily

The start of anything so detailed is often daunting. But I have learned the value to small steps each day, which eventually build to the final product.

You cannot physically climb a mountain without taking one step at a time.

Perhaps when I began painting years ago, I had more questions about whether I could paint a realistic portrait. Now I just ask myself the question, “How do I best go about painting this?”

I had a lot of photos of Mittens in different lighting – photos taken inside a house and outdoors. I analyzed these. We also discussed what the background would look like.

The Dogwood blossoms were not the first suggested flower, but they were a great choice. I happened to be in NYC a couple years ago when the Dogwoods had been blooming and had many good personal photo references plus some I gathered online.

I chose a color palette which could be mixed to gain all the colors I would need – greys, browns, pink, green and blue for the sky.

After about a month of emailing photos and exchanging ideas, I began the painting, starting with a penciled tracing. 

I believe this painting was completed five weeks later. I always keep detailed records of when I paint but don’t have them available to refer to at present.

Portraits of someone you know – either a man or an animal – require capturing THE subject, not just any old face or animal. Because scaling photos takes a lot of time and eyestrain, I have gone to what I call "cheating", i. e. using graphite on the back of a photocopy, then I tape this down and use a pen to trace in the eyes, ears, nose, etc. I need the collector to recognize their family member!

This gives me a drawing on which to add color.

Then the real fun, or challenge, begins. Choosing the first wash color…Usually I paint back to front and light to dark.

I began laying in light washes of color, stroking with the hair, leaving the whiskers white. I did not use any masking fluid.

Mittens began to slowly appear and she grew stronger over the days of painting.

Because of the neck injury and eyesight issues, things went more slowly than normal. I was able to paint only a couple hours a day.

Realism is gained through training the eyes to first accurately see different tones and shades of color and then mix the color as well as paint it.

As a finger-style guitarist whom I love jokingly says, “It’s not as hard as it looks, trust me, it’s harder.” It is challenging to paint little fine details in color tone and value, but more-so when you begin painting. After developing the skill everything does become much easier!

I seriously do not know exactly how I first learned to advance from some stages of completion. When I was little and a beginning watercolorist, analyzing my own pieces was difficult. I would reach a place and not know how to continue. Saying, “I’m done” was the easy solution…

Then Phyllis Higgins, one of my early Artist Mentors, greatly enhanced my ability to see strengths and weaknesses in my own work. After her instruction and help, I could then comprehend how to go further at enhancing detail - without ruining the painting through over-painting it.

Growing up, I would also take my paintings downstairs to my family and “make the rounds”. “What do you think about this part, do I need to darken it?” I would ask…and my mother and siblings would make suggestions and comments. Sometimes I followed their advice but other times I did not.

Finishing a portrait and emailing a photo to a collector can be a bit scary. My collector saw my progress and gently requested Mittens have a darker back fur coloring. She also requested strengthening the blue sky and the background flowers.

Years ago, making final changes and attempting “improvements” could kill the painting…but it was good training. While I am still often uncertain I can actually improve an area, on this painting it all seemed to flow and come together! I was pleased because my collector had an artist for a mother, and had gained an excellent eye. She knew exactly what she wanted and her painting continued to slowly improve! And so, the finished work was a combined effort or analysis, greatly enhanced by Mitten's owner, who knew her fur coloring best.

Thousands of strokes and small color changes go into a large painting. And decisions, decisions, decisions. After completing a painting, I really have no desire to make any decisions, about anything!!! I just want to rest my eyes, body and mind.

And so, Mittens, Soft and Steady Companionship, sized 16x12 before being matted and framed, came to life.

I appreciate all my Collectors. I am grateful for my remaining eyesight which has enabled this fine-detailed work over many years. Our Father has been good to me.

Please let me know if you would like a watercolor portrait of a loved one!

With gratitude and love,

your artist-friend,

Elise

^“ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” ~ II Corinthians 4:7-18

“You can talk with someone for years, everyday, and still, it won't mean as much as what you can have when you sit in front of someone, not saying a word, yet you feel that person with your heart, you feel like you have known the person for forever....connections are made with the heart, not the tongue.” ~ C. JoyBell C.

“Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” ~ I Corinthians 2:14

“How it is that animals understand things I do not know, but it is certain that they do understand. Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything in the world understands it. Perhaps there is a soul hidden in everything and it can always speak, without even making a sound, to another soul.” ~ Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess

“It's up to the artist to use language that can be understood, not hide it in some private code. Most of these jokers don't even want to use language you and I know or can learn . . . they would rather sneer at us and be smug, because we 'fail' to see what they are driving at. If indeed they are driving at anything--obscurity is usually the refuge of incompetence.” ~ Robert A. Heinlein

”Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love…Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” ~ Ephesians 4:13-16, & verses 29-32

Psalm 145

I will extol thee, my God, O king;
and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
Every day will I bless thee;
and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
and his greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise thy works to another,
and shall declare thy mighty acts.
I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty,
and of thy wondrous works.
And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts:
and I will declare thy greatness.
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness,
and shall sing of thy righteousness.
The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion;
slow to anger, and of great mercy.
The Lord is good to all:
and his tender mercies are over all his works.
All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord;
and thy saints shall bless thee.
They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom,
and talk of thy power;
To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts,
and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
The Lord upholdeth all that fall,
and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
The eyes of all wait upon thee;
and thou givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest thine hand,
and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways,
and holy in all his works.
The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him,
to all that call upon him in truth.
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him:
he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
The Lord preserveth all them that love him:
but all the wicked will he destroy.
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord:
and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Sometimes a Light Surprises

Sometimes a light surprises
  The Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord who rises
  With healing in His wings;
When comforts are declining,
  He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining,
  To cheer it after rain.

In holy contemplation
  We sweetly then pursue
The theme of God's salvation,
  And find it ever new;
Set free from present sorrow,
  We cheerfully can say-
E'en let the unknown morrow
  Bring with it what it may.

It can bring with it nothing,
  But He will bear us through;
Who gives the lilies clothing,
  Will clothe His people too:
Beneath the spreading heavens
  No creature but is fed;
And He, who feeds the ravens,
  Will give His children bread.

Though vine nor fig tree neither
  Their wonted fruit shall bear;
Though all the fields should wither
  Nor flocks nor herds be there;
Yet God the same abiding,
  His praise shall tune my voice,
For, while in Him confiding,
  I cannot but rejoice. 

~ William Cowper 

published 1779