POISE

Yuki sat herself in front of this one while I was trying to photograph it, talking softly in quiet grunts and refusing to budge. Then I realized: it just looked so much better with her in the frame.

She’s been through a lot recently: Since May she’s lost two of her household fur siblings. Since 2024 she’s moved twice, lived in three different homes, and lost a human mother and re-homed a human father. Now, look at her again: that’s some poise. I thank her for her grace and presence.

I had all kinds of names and poems lined up for this gull…having to do with lilts, tilts, and side-eyes. I now think it’s really all about Yuki, so there you are.

POISE is 36×36 in acrylic on birch panel board. She’s a glaucous gull, very frequent up here in the Puget Sound/Salish Sea area. She’s large, simple, and clear, which is good because the other pieces I’m working on are complicated.

All the best, Kirsten