Acrylic on Wood
12″ x 16″
The longest, loving relationship I’ve had with anyone male who is not a blood relative, is this cat. I think he was 12 or 13 when I sketched him sleeping on the ottoman in our living room.
Over seven years ago, when we lived in a house for a while, he figured out that the front door didn’t just lead to a “hallway,” and – quite reasonably – became obsessed with being outside.
He roamed a three block radius, slept in a neighbour’s canoe, made friends with cats who had their food outside, got death threats…
He even went missing for a week and came back to us by luck and kindness.
So angry about being stuck inside during the bitter parts of winter, he peed on things. When the house smelled like cat pee every time the heat turned on, we realized that his targets had included a pack of replacement furnace filters…
In any case…
When I started to paint, this grassy nook took shape around him. I have since thought about it as the dream he was having when I first sketched him; a dream he maybe has quite often.
My sweet fur baby.
He’s 15 now.
Sitting in my lap as I type this.
He seems to have forgiven me for sticking him back in a condo with only a balcony but you really never know with cats
Love the painting
Thank you 🙂 It was a more zen experience than usual with results that didn’t leave me vaguely unsatisfied (also unusual). Feel like this one really wanted to come into the world and I’m just grateful it chose me…