Gallery No. 2: Cats (Californian)

In the spirit of Christmas, I wanted to give my readers a small gift--my second gallery! 'Tis the season, they do say. In case you were not aware, I am writing from San Diego, California right now, as I have returned to the place of my birth to spend the holidays with family. I'm currently staying at my aunt & uncle's place, along with their FIVE CATS: Maurice, Moo Shu, Buddy, Sofie and Chloe (listed in the order from cat I like the best to cat I like the least).

I wanted to share some pictures of these felines that have been my closest friends the past five days. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

First, a mini-gallery to Maurice, the 23 pound gorgeous orange tabby.



You can gain an idea of how large Maurice is by comparing his head to Devin's.



Look at this model.


Maurice likes to go outside for brief moments so he can eat as much grass as possible. He usually throws it up in the next few minutes, but doesn't he look radiant in the sunshine?



Maurice and I surfing the web together.


Maurice is simply beautiful, like a tamed tiger that sleeps in your bed and lets you pet his belly, yet still doesn't respond to his name.

Moving on to my next favorite cat: Moo Shu.

Moo Shu is the oldest cat in the house, the king cat that reigns supreme. He's a slightly cross-eyed, ancient Siamese cat whose meows are so loud they can wake you up at night. The past 3 nights, in fact. In his old age, he has gained the wisdom to actually open up the cabinet drawer where his treats are stored and then paw at the treats until you give him one. He is aging with both dignity and sass.



Moo Shu is Devin's cat of choice in this house.


BUDDY! Buddy used to be the heaviest cat in the house, but has now slimmed down to a lithe 19 pounds. Buddy doesn't like to leave the couch very much and is maybe the sweetest cat in the house. He's ready to give his love, if you're ready to receive it.



Devin and Buddy. I should also mention that Buddy also has the most sensitive stomach in the house and often throws up indoors. A piece of gossip: Buddy also loses it if he gets his paws on catnip.


This little bag of fur is Sofie. Sofie is a rescue cat that used to be bald and now she has the softest, most beautiful fur. She's kinda prissy and has very short legs.


Here's Sofie watching Maurice eat.


And here's the final cat of the bunch: Chloe. I don't have many pictures of Chloe because she is my least favorite. There's nothing really wrong with her; she just doesn't have the model-esque looks of Maurice, the wisdom of Moo Shu or the sweetness of Buddy. She also pees on everything in the house. When I asked my Uncle Mike which cat he'd get rid of, if he absolutely had to, he replied without missing a beat "Chloe." But rest assured, Chloe is very loved and is a happy cat.


Here's Chloe on a box, because CATS LOVE BOXES.


See? They all clamored to sit on this box.


Guess who won?



:)



A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the crew at Samantha Clark Cuts it Out!

I thank you all for your love, online and off. In the new year, I hope you will all buy more of my artwork.

Gallery No. 1--Cats

I'm quite fond of galleries of all kinds, so I recently decided my next project would be a gallery. The subject matter? Cats. I'm more of a dog person but find that when I'm behind the camera, I connect with cats much better for some reason.

This particular gallery took quite a few months to assemble. Many people have asked why I decided to focus on just two cats, and the answer is that it's due to a variety of reasons. I feel the sense of intimacy is much greater with two subjects and also, I live with both of these cats so it kept transportation and studio fees to a minimum.

I hope you enjoy this gallery. I've been deciding the proper venue to display it in, as I feel the traditional "art space" wouldn't fully allow the subjects to shine, and would really be in opposition to the underlying theme of the piece. I decided to post a preview of the gallery up here, at least until I hear back from the AGO or the City of Toronto Transportation Department (for display on subways, streetcars, bus shelters, etc.). I am also awaiting responses from several school gymnasiums.



So here it is: Money & Marley.

As always, I welcome all feedback.

PS--On a related note, a few months ago, I decided to do an experiment in the 'Free' section part of craigslist and see if I could post something so pointless and illogical that no one would want it. I posted an ad entitled "Free pictures of my cat." The ad said:

"I recently moved into a basement apartment and had to give up my cat. I have a lot of really nice pictures of her and was wondering if anyone would want them. I'd hate to throw away perfectly good pictures, but I don't really need them anymore. If you like pictures of cats then you will love these. Let me know if you would like them."

I figured at most I would receive some hate mail calling me a horrible person for not caring about my cat, and perhaps some people asking if I was for real. I didn't think anyone would actually respond asking for the cat pictures--if you want cat pictures, you usually go right to Google image and type in 'cat pictures.' Well, I received both of those responses and a few more, too. Here are some of the replies I received:

"This has to be a joke - you got rid of your cat but don't want to just get rid of the photos? That's sad, or I'm just a fool.." --Bob

"Who throws away pictures? Especially pictures of your cat you once loved??" --Dr. Marvin (who also told me to "Stay Golden")

-Me and my daughter would love to have some cat pictures, we love cats!! --Greg

-"I want your cat photos a lot. I live in Montreal, so you'd have to mail them for me. I want to use them for a series of drawings. I've done cat-related work before, so you know I'm not nuts (or maybe just a little.) I can pay for the shipping if you like." --Crystal

-"Do you still have photos of your cat?"--Melanie (received one month after I posted the ad, which would mean she was going wayyyy back into the archives for free stuff)

Everyone who requested the cat pictures was sent a copy of the photos in this gallery, as a way of testing the waters and seeing public response. I received a lot of positive feedback, which really pushed me to finish the gallery and display it to the public. From this experience, I also learned that you can post anything on the 'Free' section of craigslist and someone, somewhere will want it.