Today’s post is for a little late hamster, Peanut.

When I began this post last week, I had a whole headful of things to say. I remember it fondly. At some time, those wondrous thoughts slunk, embarrassed, from my mind (by a well-trodden path of late), and I am left with nothing.

The reply of Oscar Wilde to the customs officer when asked if he anything to declare, springs to mind – “nothing to declare but my genius” – but only by word association, and not for any real reason. [And it turns out Wilde may never have said this – although he certainly could have done, and more certainly should have done so.]

All that to one side – I am a little impressed, looking back at this project, that I was nothing daunted by a pretty poor quality photo to work from. This may qualify as being more gung-ho, than genius, but nonetheless, well done me – because it really wasn’t an easy starting point, and pretty much broke all my rules of photos that will work.

Here we see the underpainting, a soft and ghostly Peanut, who vanishes into focus as we go on. And here he’s done:

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Peanut’s owner and I chose a lovely, soft Liberty classic for his background, and there he thrives for all time, in amongst the peacock feathers:

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