Happy Valentine’s Day!

Blackie sure wishes he could share some sweets with his sweetie today, but Charlotte is still miles away in sunny Jamaica (and having a wonderful time).

Here was today’s daily doodle that I’d packed in Dad’s luggage before they left, showing Charlotte and Daisy Mouse receiving their Valentine’s Day mail.

My own Valentine make-and-do activities were pretty limited this year. I didn’t get around to sending any homemade Valentines, alas—which of course are the best (to give or to receive).

But I did run across these snapshots I’d taken and posted on Facebook last February, when Charlotte and I had made a bunch of Valentines to send to our friends’ dogs. (Charlotte doesn’t actually like many dogs, so this made the list small enough that the project was manageable.) You can see her taking a meal break (chicken pot pie) and a couple of naps in between her inspection duties. As fun as it was, it was also pretty tiring!

I did create a Valentine collage though, a few weeks ago, for the February First Friday Event at the Dole Mansion (where my studio is). Here it is,  just for fun. The female figure is from a print of a painting by El Greco, Woman in a Fur Wrap. (Thanks again, Gary, for giving me your old art books, and letting me take a scissors to them.)

It’s been pretty busy with illustration projects lately, and a recent (ongoing) update to my website, but I’m still hoping to create a few more large collages for the upcoming  March First Friday event, Art in Action, Stay tuned. (Or if you happen to be in the Chicago Northwest suburbs, please come by on March 1st to check it out and say hello!)

Just for fun, here is my doodle report on last year’s event.

Meanwhile, all I can say is, thank God for email and blogs and Facebook and such, allowing us procrastinators to still send out Valentines to our clients, friends and loved ones—if only in the very nick of time.

Happy Valentine’s Night, everyone! However you spent your day today, I hope it felt fun and special and involved some chocolate. (Mine almost didn’t, until I found an unopened jar of hot fudge sauce in the pantry about an hour ago. Score!)

Thanks, as always, for stopping by The Daily Cat Doodle, and have sweet dreams tonight.

P.S. Thanks also (once again) to Karen Watson, The Graphics Fairy, this time for the wonderful antique Valentine frame used in the opening cat doodle.  And also to Karen D. (Charlotte’s special friend) for the Valentine goodies I found on the front stoop earlier tonight. (I know Charlotte’s gonna be thrilled to see them when she comes home on Monday, and in the meantime, I’m loving them, of course. Thanks so much; you are the best!)