Stylized Portrait of Angel for Daughter

I actually painted this a few weeks ago, but didn't post because it was a surprise for my daughter. (Ahem... Once a Mom always a Mom.) 

My (adult) daughter lost her kitty last year around Christmas time, and I know how difficult it was for her. The little painting made her smile...

I started the idea back in January, and finally had to accept that my photo reference was not all it could have been for a black kitty with a white chest. It was taken in flat lighting, and I just couldn't get any descriptive details from it so I had to settle on a stylized version.

Angel 
5 x 7 Oil on Canvas Panel
© 2015

Copyright, Imitation, and Culture

What's your point of view on copyright laws and appropriation for your own artwork?  I know I do enjoy painting an occasional master copy, and find it very valuable to developing my own skills. I am not talking about something that crosses both a legal and ethical line like plagiarism.

I happened to find this thought provoking TEDtalk… on this very topic that presents an argument in favor of imitation.


Here's another interesting article discussing copyright protection of an entire culture!
http://lanfiles-vm.williams.edu/mbrown/Brown-CopyrightingcultureCA98.pdf

I have feelings in favor of both sides even with my own artwork and images. I know whenever I did a project for a corporate client in graphic design, it was a given that they owned the results, and I always felt okay with that arrangement. I often see my design work on the side of trucks and billboards even to this day (from some 12+ years ago) and have to admit I feel a little bit of pride in a good way that they are still using those images.

However, I tend to feel a different emotion when I do my fine art images… maybe it's because it is  more personal, but I would still see it as a compliment if someone likes it enough to copy it.