A pastel drawing of one of my cats.
Many years ago I did a large pastel titled “Fat Cat’s Daydream.” Fat Cat is a pastel of my cat B.C. and three beta fish. I belonged to a group of artist and we had been invited to display our work in the windows of an empty downtown street level office. I was told the piece needed to be big so it could be seen by passing cars. I thought, what better muse than my young cat, but what will I draw him doing?
At the time I had a large bowl with a blue male beta fish, some rocks and a small plant for shelter. I say male because the males have the long fins and this particular fish had really long fins. The bowl sat close to a tree shaded window and the fish, who I called Blue, would swim around or hover among the stems of his plant. Oh, and by the way, did I mention that Blue and B.C. lived in the same house and the same room? B.C. was a wild cat as a kitten and seemed curious about everything but the fish. He could open boxes and empty the contents, he shredded a mini blind and if he wanted to be held he would leap from wherever he was to me. But, I never saw him anywhere close to the fish bowl.
One day I arrived home from work and noticed that the fish bowl was empty. I looked everywhere around the bowl and concluded that Blue had been eaten by B.C. Of course he looked totally innocent and kept shaking his head as if to say “not me.” And after my lecture, which I am sure went in one ear and out the other, I replaced Blue with Red and then Blue Too. So, I thought, here is my drawing, B.C. with three beta fish swimming around his head. He must be daydreaming about the fish when I am present, waiting for me to leave so he can make his move.
I sold “Fat Cat Daydream” from that exhibit and kept more fish in an aquarium with a lid and in my studio where B.C. is not permitted. B.C. has grown older now, he is 13, and I sometimes catch a glimpse of that daydream twinkle in his eye. I am sure he is daydreaming about fish.