Cats
When I met my wife, she had a large, long-haired, female cat name Freddie. I had never owned a cat. I do not do pet portraits as a general rule, but these drawings and paintings are very special. We have owned many cats by now and these cats are a big part of our lives. Therefore, these pieces are very personal. Some were made for special occasions and others were made as mementoes of cats that have passed away.
Freddie in the window
Oil on canvas. 48" x 60". 1983. Of all of the paintings hanging in our various houses, this one gets the most positive comments.
Amelia and Winifred
Pastel on Arches Paper. 22" x 30". 2020. Our two cats against a background of William Morris wallpaper. As in this drawing, Winifred actually does stand like this on our bedpost.
The Story of Boris
Pastel on Arches Paper. 22" x 30". Boris came with his family to the campgrounds of Assateague Island National Seashore. He escaped from their RV and they left without finding him. They left a message with the Rangers and after four months alone in the park, he was safe trapped. The Park contacted the owners who said they no longer wanted him, so we ended up adopting him. He was a very friendly and interesting cat. After several years with us, he died of cancer.
Jack
Pastel on sanded paper. 12” x 16”. 2016. One cold, dark, November evening, my wife and I were working late at our park in West Virginia. When we came out, we found a tiny, yellow tabby kitten, huddled on the curb by our car. We took him in and by the time we got home, he was ours. I named him “Lucky Jack” after the character in the Master and Commander series. He grew to be twenty pounds and was the alpha cat in our little group. I made this drawing of him after he died with him sitting like a king in our tall, kitchen chair surveying his domestic domain.
Freddie
Pastel on Arches Paper. 22" x 30". 1984. When I worked out of our house in Austin, Freddie was a constant companion.
Anna and Cora
Prismacolor pencil on paper. 2096. Anna and Cora were our two cats after Freddie died. The both lived to be seventeen years old and traveled with us from Austin to Philadelphia, Scranton, Gettysburg and Beckley, West Virginia.
with two cats in the yard
Wood and acrylic paint. 2015. I made several, similar "home altars" for friends. The idea is patterned after the Mexican tradition of having an alter dedicated for the protection of the family and home. This one was for our house and depicts Anna and Cora against the backdrop of the Redding Farm where we lived in Gettysburg.