Dr. Seuss 2011 and Friend

I can soooo do better than that.

1st - Learn to Spell

"I do not spell, either."

Check



2nd - Pay the man a proper tribute.

Cat making broad to cat creating god:

Cake anyone?

Double check.


Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss and your Cat in the Hat.

Hook On!
C

Dr. Seuss 2011

It's the birthday of the one and only Dr. Seuss!

Caught unawares - a natural state for me - I offer this powerpointed message in celebration:

"I do not draw, Sam I am."

Hmm. But maybe I can do better...

Oh, Wait - March is over!

Oops. Forgot to talk about my latest pride and joy: My snarky feline ode to the Ides of March.

So okay, yes, that was way back on March 15th, but cut a gal some slack - sometimes I actually do get busy.

... and not merely distracted by shiny objects

... or air.

"I come not to praise Caesar,
but to bury him... in kitty litter."

Where did this come from? Well... I've been on a serious cat-plique bender for quite some time now. Also, I wanted to celebrate March with something other than the obvious and predictable: two traits I would love nothing more than to scour bloodily from the feel of my work - and my life really.

As an aside, I must confess that I did go the green cat route for St. Paddy's which would seem to be a betrayal of my search for artistic individualism. However, the love of the cute and catty is a deeply entrenched facet of my psyche and, therefore, commands a large presence in my work.

So, in keeping with those things which most clearly identifies my view of the world, I opted to combine cute cats and a snarky historical reference into my more involved tribute to March - and thus, "The Cat Ides" was - uhm... well... bred?

I did post images of this tableaux at my flickr photostream. Although I had been warned by my artist/artistic sounding board brother that I would need to decide on which figure was the Feline Brutus, I admit that I was unprepared with a definite answer. Still am.

Is Brutus the one staring off in the distance, lost in contemplation?

Hmm?

...or the one hailing the emperor with a welcoming paw as his robes conceal the short sword behind his back?

Hey there!

...or is he the one overwhelmed with zeal taking a flying leap at the gilded Emperor-for-life?

MEOWRRRR!

It wasn't a conscious decision, but I'd wager that the purple assassin kitty is meant to represent the infamous Brute'.

Unfortunately, his facial expression offers no clue. I work hard to make the faces convey specific emotions, but it is difficult at this scale. The cats are only about 2" tall. Hopefully, the stitched features capture the intended look of surprised dismay on the main subject:

Emperor Puss

as well as the shiftiness of betrayal on his flanking senators:

Senator Kitties

BTW, the background is intentionally mono-toned (well, at least close within a color family) - originally to suggest white marble halls and columns but ultimately to direct attention to the colorful figures instead of the background. I've had trouble with suitable backgrounds in the past. This is one attempt to address the issue. Not so sure it sent the missive to the appropriate location, if you'll pardon the postal pun.

Maybe not?

Hook On!
C

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Saint Patty Catty

I've pretty obviously been on the cat-plique bandwagon for quite some time now and planned to continue along the same vein with a green cat as St. Patrick complete with bishop miter, crook staff, green robes, and fleeing snakes. But alas, time ran short.

I considered paring down the idea to St. Patrick's younger cleric days and have a green kitty with a white priest's collar but I wasn't sure if it was specific enough. Green cat priest is funny but ultimately too vague even with a snake dangling from his little mouth or maybe just under his paw. And of course, legend proclaims that Ireland's patron saint drove the snakes away, nothing was said about killing them or even merely standing on them.

So, short on time and eager to do something for the day, I settled on the little green kitty with golden yellow eyes and a leprechaun-style belt as collar.

Wishing you all the luck of the day.

Hook On!
C