Another dog cushion… made by me!

Funny how one doggy leads you to another two :)
Just finished another cushion cover – “Two sleeping Dogs”.

It is made using the raw edge applique technique from various fabrics and good quality sewing felt.
Size is approx. 28×48 cm /11×19″
You can see – and buy! – my other stuff here

Handmade cats cushion cover – made by me!

Here is another one of my cats creation – a pillow/cushion cover this time.

I really enjoyed making it, although the eyes were quite difficult to do and I loved embroidering the delicate dragonflies! (Took me a long time though :) )

Cushion cover “Black and White Cats”

Cushion cover “Black and White Cats”

If you’d like to see and/or my any of my works, you are welcome here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/NaturelandsAndCo

New Cats paintings – as promised

Ok, I think I am ready now to show you me new-style cat paintings. I told you some time ago that I wanted to try a different style to my Fantasy Cats™ one and here they are:

Musing Cat
10 cm x 20 cm
acrylics, canvas board

Watching Cat 10 cm x 20 cm acrylics, canvas board

 

 

I hope that you would like them.

As usual, all my works are here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/NaturelandsAndCo

Can’t resist painting another little Fantasy Cat™!

I just love paining them! Here is another one of my little painting:

“Musing Cat in Cinnamon”
Size : 13 cm x 18 cm; approx 5″ x 7″
Medium : Acrylic paints
Material : canvas

All my works are here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/NaturelandsAndCo

New little painting from my Fantasy Cats Series: “Smiling Cat in Chocolate”

This is a small painting in my Fantasy Cats™ Style:

 

“Smiling Cat in Chocolate” Size : 18 cm x 13 cm; approx 7″ x 5″ Medium : Acrylic paints Material : canvas

“Smiling Cat in Chocolate”
Size : 18 cm x 13 cm; approx 7″ x 5″
Medium : Acrylic paints
Material : canvas

You can see (and buy :) ) all my works here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/NaturelandsAndCo

 

Russian old country houses – an interesting aspect of Russian aristocrats’ lives

Thinking about the historical past of my motherland (from the architectural  point of view) I found an interesting trend: in 17-18 centuries very rich Russian aristocrats used to build their great summer estates not for living there but just for entertainment.

Can you imagine that? They spent enormous amount of money, invited famous architects, planted fabulous Versailles-style parks  and decorated them with various follies, filled all this with precious art and sculptures, kept an enormous staff for maintaining them – AND THEY NEVER ACTUALLY LIVED THERE! From time to time they held balls and carnivals there, gave dinners and receptions , theatrical performances, brought hundreds of guests- and then just returned home – to even more luxuriant palaces, I presume.

Here are some of such great summer country estates of the Russian nobility I’ve seen.

Kuskovo  was the summer country house and estate of the Sheremetev family. Built in the mid-18th century on over 300 (!) hectares. The twenty-six rooms of the palace were designed for entertaining and impressing guests on state occasions – and that’s all! No bedrooms, no homely living rooms, but absolutely everything is lavishly decorated. The surrounding park is full of other “little” palaces, some were used for storing paintings, some for dining, some for having a little rest while promenading around the park. There were two huge orangeries as well. Count Sheremetev entertained in a grand style; his outdoor entertainments in the park attracted as many 25000 guests. Entertainments included his famous theater and orchestra with serf actors.

 

Ostankino Palace is another former  private opera theatre of Sheremetev family built in 1792-1798 . The palace is built of wood but you would never guess it. It is masterfully plastered and painted inside and outside to look like stone and marble – amazing! The park, only partly survived, contains several garden buildings such as Egyptian and Italian pavilions.  Again, the Count Sheremetev didn’t LIVE there, he just brought his friends to listen to the opera. But he had to keep and support the actors (serfs) and orchestra, commission stage sets and costumes plus maintain the buildings themselves.

 

 

the stage

Arkhangelskoye Palace (18th-19th centuries) belonged to the Golitsyn and the Yusupovs families. When Prince Yusupov acquired it in 1810 he wanted it just for his vast art collection. He never lived there.

 

And the last one but not the least – the Petroff Palace. Built in 1776—1780s it was a travel palace on the road from St Petersburg to Moscow. The Tsars and their court used to stop there just before entering Moscow in order to have a rest and to spruce themselves up a little and then to proceed to the Kremlin Palace where they actually stayed.

I wonder if such “entertainment” palaces on the grand scale existed in other countries? Or was it the particular whim of the immensely rich Russian nobility?

 

 

 

Trying a new painting style

Well, it is more like combining my landscape painting with my love for cats and trying to convey a feeling of beauty I experience at the dusk when the moon is young and the evening is so transparent that my heart almost aches…

You can see all my works here as usual: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/NaturelandsAndCo

Cats, cats, Fantasy Cats

This is not what I promised – not a new-style cats painting. It is my Fantasy Cats painting and for some reason it took me absolutely ages to finish this one. I had been constantly trying to better it and was still unhappy with the results.

But it is finished now and you can judge for yourself :)

“Two Proud Cats”
Acrylics, canvas

You can see and buy all my work here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/NaturelandsAndCo