Critters Are Moving to the Mansion at Strathmore
Because my paper sculpture animals are more fragile than many of the other pieces going into my large-scale installation, I wanted to take them separately.
On my first installation day, I rented a truck to take the large paper sculpture items for my “Charming Victorian Country Garden Retreat” installation to the Mansion at Strathmore. On the second day, it was time to take the critters to the mansion.
Because my paper sculpture animals are more fragile than many of the other pieces going into my large-scale installation, I wanted to take them separately and not risk them being jostled around too much in the back of the truck.
To pack up these cute furry, handmade, hand-sculpted, critters, I needed to figure out a way to pack them safely without altering their appearance — such as the cute little nose on the bunny rabbit or the fluffy tail on the squirrel.
It seemed like the best way to pack up these cuties was to make a little nest for them to sit in. Using acid-free tissue paper, I carefully made them nests. I didn’t want the whiskers on the cats to become damaged, so I let their little faces stick out of the boxes just like they are sitting in a pet carrier. Well, like the most well-behaved cat ever sitting in a pet carrier.
They looked so cute all wrapped up in their boxes and packed up inside my car – all ready to travel to The Mansion at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD for installation day No. 2!
The Real Cat Supermodels Who Inspire My Work
Here’s just a few of the illustrations and paper sculptures where my supermodels were the inspiration. See if you can match the illustration to the cat!
Did you know that I use supermodels for some of my paper sculpture reference materials? Yes, that’s right, and I would like to show you some of the most famous models you’ll see pop up in my work right here.
First, we have Molly. An adorable calico cat who looks more like a large kitten than an adult-sized cat who is about 10 years old. She is polydactyl and has extra toes on her front paws, which just adds to her cuteness. I call her my studio cat.
She loves to come and check up on me first thing in the morning and throughout the day. She also loves to distract me and insists I stop working and let her sit on my lap while she purrs loudly. Honestly, it’s always a nice distraction for both of us. When she’s not “assisting” at my desk, she keeps me company curled up in front of the fireplace or sitting by the windows.
Next up, we have Tube Socks, the biggest orange tabby in the group of supermodels. He got his name because when he was a kitten, the stripes on his front legs looked like he was wearing tube socks — those white gym socks with the colored bands at the top. The dark orange stripes on his legs have faded somewhat with age.
We have nicknamed him a puppy cat because he follows my husband around the house. At night, Tube Socks will meow and meow, until he hears us say, “Goodnight Tube Socks!” Then he curls up and goes to sleep. How cute is that?
Next we have Peanut and Cricket, orange cats, who, along with Tube Socks, are brothers. They live with my daughter in Los Angeles, now big-time city cats in Hollywood. Cricket most recently posed for my furry cat that will be included in my installation during the Paper Works show at The Mansion at Strathmore this summer.
I often refer to our cats when I need to check out their eyes, ears, facial features or stripe patterns. They’re great live reference materials when I need to paper sculpt a cat and get their tricky features just right. Our cats make really great models. Here’s just a few of the illustrations and paper sculptures where my supermodels were the inspiration. See if you can match the illustration to the cat.
Turning a Cat Nap Into a Work of Art
When you see a sweet little cat nap, don’t you wish it could be you, sleeping peacefully at 2 in the afternoon?
When you see a sweet little cat nap, don’t you wish it could be you, sleeping peacefully at 2 in the afternoon? Life of a house cat. The only thing he has to worry about is, “When can I take another nap?” and “When is supper time?”
Those were a few of the things I was thinking about when I was painting this orange tabby cat sleeping peacefully in his favorite, blue-stuffed chair, not a care in the world!
This sleepy tabby is a flat, two-dimensional watercolor and gouache painting with a few three-dimensional elements added to the picture. His furry ear is popping out of the paper, and his whiskers and a few bits of fur here and there gives him some added 3D effect.
