This cool cat isn’t my dad per se, but his bow-tied confident stylish attitude are definitely a nod to him. This family of cats have been coming fast and furious these past weeks. I think I have 8 or 9…and they keep popping up just when I’m attempting something “real”. At the risk of sounding weird, but I’m beyond that, these cats tell me who they are going to be mid-painting. I’m convinced that they are God’s way, the universe, my muse, telling me to lighten up, keep laughing, be true to my quirky irreverent voice and worry about the art stuff later. This is not what I thought My Art was supposed to look like but when I create these funny fur people, I’m laughing, enjoying myself and shaking my head thinking I bet these will pass the Spencer/Sloane test (nephew/niece combo pack of best picture book reading duo I’ve ever met). In a nutshell, moral of today’s story, making art for fun is good for the soul. Good for my soul. It lightens the load. Brightens the day. Did it make someone smile? Check. Did it make me giggle when I googled “cats wearing straw fedoras”? Check.
Happy Father’s Day to all you cool cats, dads, uncles, brothers and good men who have been like father figures when someone needed that fedora wearing smile. xo