My VCL Pick of the Day
regal-tigress.jpg by Keaalu
This piece of art attracted my attention because of its lovely blend of muted jewel tones and its unique subject matter. I thought at first the artist had taken liberty with standard tiger colors until I read the description. I love the way the artist has skillfully rendered the coloration of the maltese tiger without benefit of photo references. The combination of Victorian clothing and the bit of jewelry worn on the head give it an exotic Indian feel.
I didn't fully credit the existence of the blue tigers and thought the artist might be mistaken so I made a quick Google search. According to Tiger Territory, the maltese or blue tiger has been rumored to exist. However, no recent reliable evidence, anecdotal or photographic, exists officially documenting the current status of the creature. Artist friends who are looking for a unique twist on ordinary or commonly drawn felines might like looking through their coloration and hybrids indices. The entire site is an excellent scientific resource for big cats, their habitat, physical characteristics, and their behhavior.