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The cat-tending in my household has been more eventful than usual. Poor Nom came down with pneumonia and part of his lung collapsed. I’m not sure how that can happen to a pampered indoor kitty, but he managed it. Fortunately he responded well to antibiotics and is back to thundering around the house in pursuit of the Kitten.

The Kitten, as it turns out, is pretty special too. He really likes bathwater and cheerfully hops into the tub while it drains. He also doesn’t know how to retract his claws, so he frequently gets stuck to things – the carpet, bedding, curtains, and cabinets to name a few. A couple of days ago I was wearing pants with a long drawstring, and carrying something large. Kitten launched himself at the string in an ill-conceived attack. His claws stuck to it and he was left dangling between my legs. As my hands were full, I couldn’t extract him so he swung in the air until gravity came to his rescue.

My most recent mini is Kreimhild’s Revenge from Morland Studios. She’s so dainty, and I love how her fabric drapes.

Because it seemed like it would be fun, I have painted a bug on a rock. It’s not actually a bug but a pretty little weevil called pachrrhynchus congestus.

I’ve been quiet lately, but some of you may have noticed that I snuck a new mini into the gallery. The Twilight Knight recently won the Kingdom Death contest over at the WAMP forums.

The Holidays were great – I ended up in Death Valley (on purpose) and it was beautiful.

I would also like to share a palette recommended by a helpful fellow painter. (Thanks Barry!) The additional wells encourage me to make smaller steps between color transitions, which helps me paint a bit faster. The most awesome feature is a fitted ceramic lid which keeps my paint usable for about 4 days. The pic below links to the Amazon listing:

The cats continue to thrive, Nom and the Kitten alternate between battling and bathing each other. The Kitten is really endearing – I’ve never met a happier cat. Even his bad habits are cute. “Aww he’s eating my hair, that’s adorable.” I’ll have some serious split ends by the time he learns better.

My household now includes one more cat, which is called Kitten for now. I’m trying out various names on him to see if any of them stick – the best candidates are: Noodle, Thunderbump, or Munchie (he’s a stumpy-legged cat of the munchkin variety.)

Kitten is attempting to teach Nom the art of cat-combat without much success, as Nom counters these attacks by holding the kitten down and cleaning him. I was able to snap a photo of Nom mid-lick:

My latest miniature is the Archaeologist from Khurusan Miniatures. They are taking tiny to the next level!

Some very exciting news! Ian Newbold of Newbold World has generously agreed to match all of my donations to Childeren with Cancer. This means that 40% of the price of my painting DVD goes to support that cause. Newbold Challenge has already made their 2012 donation goal, so I want to say a big thank you to everyone who bought a DVD from me, for your part in making that happen.  If you haven’t gotten your DVD yet, this is a great time to do so, and it helps out a very worthy charity.

These have been a busy couple of months, and it will be a while before I can post what I’ve been up to. The painting I’ve done lately is for contest pieces and unreleased minis, which means I have to wait to post them.

I can however post this painting of Nom which I did for my mother’s birthday.

My Darksword painting DVD is now available, and you can buy it through my website. If you buy it from me, I’ll donate 20% of the price to Children with Cancer. Click here to learn more about it.

Also check out the donation page that Newbold World manages. You will be able to see the contributions adding up. 🙂

I’ve been taking it easy in the weeks since Gencon. There’s been a lot of gaming and walks in the park. It’s a great time of year for spider watching. Yesterday I saw several different types of Hyptiotes spiders, which are cute and spring-loaded. If you haven’t seen them before, then this video is a real treat. (Not Safe for Arachnophobia) The only one I could find was in in Spanish, but the footage is awesome.

I took a break from painting serious stuff for a while, and did a quick paintjob on the Magical Fairy Princess Ballerina Infantry designed by the peerless Nora Meier and produced by Thunder Bolt Mountain. They are just adorable sculpts, and I’ve got big plans for them in a D&D campaign.