Daily Absurdities: The Role of the Cat in Contemporary Painting

The cat - a key cultural figurehead, a true social symbol of our time or that jerk who got in the laundry and peed on your washing. For as long as I can remember I've been amused by the concept of the cat... and the literal cat, as in, cats literally amuse me. 

Upon visiting my studio this week some one remarked on my clearly remarkable (ha!) collection of ugly cat drawings. There is something so dandy about an unfortunate looking feline. I was also recently reminded of an unrealised series of paintings I did of appropriated vintage cat photographs.

here is an example:

amusing no? just look at that cone control, no cat could master such a grasp, ridiculous.

At this stage I think the project will remain unfulfilled. Some one did suggest the series was suitable for market place sales... I didn't necessarily take it as a compliment.

I have however been known for my feline motif previously, I assume my interest stems from some kind of crippling childhood trauma wherein I was smothered by a hoard of cats.

Super Kitten was a seminal work from last year

I imagine the work answers many questions, possibly more than it raises. Such as: What would a hairless cat look like with a human face? a true quandary for the ages; solved in a mere 120cm x 90cm painting.

I followed it up with a less abrasive cat portrait

Oddly, People seemed to respond better to it.

I think the cat will be a pervasive trope in my work in the future, although I may have exhausted the cat/my face combination. 

If you haven't had your fill of cat based entertainment you should probably more than likely peruse the following websites, I do and it has evidently worked out quite well for me, 

Antique Cat Photos
Women and Cats
Fuck Yeah Kitties