Meaning Behind the Cat Artwork

I've been thinking about, how to put into words, the significance of this body of cat artwork that I have created.  It is all about love.  The love I feel, and felt, for my cat Motor, who passed away two years ago.  He is the inspiration behind most of the pieces in this body of work.

Motor, just brought home.

Motor was the second pet I ever adopted.  I loved him DEARLY.  He was sweet and shy and in the nine years he lived, maybe only a handful of people ever saw him.  Whenever someone would come over, Motor would run under the bed, or into the closet. He even hid from my husband.

Motor was named Motor because he was a constant purrer.  And he loved to talk.  He and I would have discussions back and forth.  He was a very happy boy, walking around with his tail up in the air most times. And he was photogenic!  I took some of my best cat photos of Motor.  He was a natural.

I haven't dealt with a lot of loss in my life as of yet, and Motor's illness and death was devastating for me.  I was so in love with him.  Unconditionally.  I used to tell my husband that Motor was my heart on the outside.  And that I wasn't sure how I would cope if he ever passed.

Motor was never sick in the eight years we had him, until he got cancer.  When he started not being interested in eating, and then throwing up, I knew something was wrong.  I won't go into the details here, but I think he lived about 3-4 weeks after his diagnosis, and they were painful for him, and for me.  It's hard to witness someone you love in pain.  My heart ached.

I told Motor in the end that I would never forget him.  I didn't know this body of artwork would be part of my remembrance.  I really couldn't do much creatively for a year after.

When I started doing linocut prints, starting with cat imagery was a no brainer for me.  I love animals.  They are my heart, my family.  I think I connect better to them than to people at times.  We have three cats right now, and a dog, Willie our schnoodle.

All the cats in the prints are from my photos of my cats.  Most of the images are of Motor.

My cats are not black cats.  My idea for using a black cat, is as a universal image or symbol for all cats.  Yes, people who have black cats may relate better to my imagery because they see the cat literally as a black cat.  But I am using the image for all breeds of cats.

So these prints are all about love for our feline friends.  And what an impact they make on our lives.  And some are about what happens to them after they pass.  Enlightened, Blessed, Wings. These are all about being on the other side of this life, as we know it.

One of the last photos I took of Motor.

To Motor,
My dear boy, I miss you everyday.  I haven't forgotten you.  I never will.
Love,
Mom

Andy Warhol Quote

I like this quote by Andy Warhol. 

Steal Like an Artist - On Art

One of my VERY favorite books about art is "Steal Like an Artist," by Austin Kleon.  He makes many good points about art that I would like to share.  Here are some of my favorites. 

1.  Nothing is original.  All creative work builds on what came before.

Every new idea is just a mashup or remix of one or more previous ideas.

2.  There's an economic theory out there that says if you take the income of your 5 closest friends and average them, the resulting number will be pretty close to your income.  (I heard this theory before in a Mastermind marketing group.)

The same is true of our idea incomes.

3.  Chew on one thinker, one writer, artist, activist, role model, that you really like.  Study everything there is to know about that thinker, artist, writer, etc.  Then find 3 people that thinker loved, and find out everything about them.  Repeat.

4.  Seeing yourself as part of a creative lineage will help you feel less alone as you start making your own art.  I hang pictures of my favorite artists in my studio.

5.  The great thing about dead or remote artists is that they can't refuse you as an apprentice.  You can learn whatever you want from them.  They left their lesson plans in their work.

6.  Carry a notebook and pen, or sketch book and pencil, with you every where you go. 

7.  Keep a swipe file.  A file to keep track of the stuff you've swiped from others.  Keep a scrap book, take photos, etc.  Need some inspiration?  Open up your swipe file.

8.  You're only going to be as good as the people you surround yourself with.  In the digital space, that means following the best people online, the people who are smarter than you.  Pay attention to what they are talking about, what they are linking to. 

9.  Harold Ramis says "Find the most talented person in the room, and if it's not you, go stand next to him or her.  Hang out with him or her.  Try to be helpful."

10.  If you ever find you are the most talented person in the room, you need to find another room.  

If any of these thoughts and ideas pique your interest, I would highly recommend reading this book.  It's a quick read, and well worth it. 

On Creativity, by Brene Brown

Love this quote by Brene Brown.  So true.

My Art Website

I have been working diligently on a website for my artwork. This is the first website I have built, and it did have it's challenges, but I think I am done. I have tried a few platforms for building one, such as Wix and Big Commerce, but I decided to go with the company Big Cartel, because it seemed to be the most intuitive for me to figure out. 

I would recommend Big Cartel to other artists just because of it's ease to put together.  It probably took me about 6 hours.  I all ready had LOTS of photos to use.  It was really just figuring out how to use the template I chose.  The most fun part was setting up the slider of photos for the home page. 

If you have a chance, please go check it out and let me know what you think. I would appreciate the feedback.

www.MaryAnnTestagrossaArt.com

Wise One

The third print in my cat linocut print series, is "Wise One."  This was my first print using three colors.  

My method of printing multiple colors is by carving my block into pieces, like a puzzle. 

 

Once the pieces are carved, they are inked separately, and then fit back together, carefully, before the paper is laid on top of the block. 

As you may notice, the eyes for this print were left white, then I hand painted them in with the printing ink to match a combination of the background colors.

 

This is part of the 50 print edition. 

Why Cats?

I adopted my first pet, a cat named Tiger just over twelve years ago.  I wanted a buddy for companionship for the days I was home, working in my studio.  I have learned so much about animals since adopting Tiger.  I would have to say, Tiger has changed my life for the better.

Tiger, just a few months old.

When Tiger was two, we adopted a second cat, Motor, the constant purrer.  Once again, this little furry boy changed my life, for the better.

My Motor, just adopted.

I used to say Motor was my heart on the outside.  I used to tell my husband, if anything ever happened to Motor, I didn't know what I would do.  I was so bonded to him.  Almost two years ago now, Motor got sick with intestinal cancer and passed away.  He had never been sick before.  It was quick.  I was devastated.  It's still hard to look at this photo of him.  He was just nine years old when he passed. 

In a way, this body of work is a tribute to him.  Many of the images start with a photo of Motor.  The cats in my prints are black, not because I am making black cat artwork, specifically.  For me, the black cat is symbolic of all cats.  My cat images could be blue, or brown, or red, but I chose black. 

When Motor passed, I had no thoughts or desire to adopt another pet.  But my older cat Tiger, my original cat, seemed lonely.  After all, Motor was his companion for nine years.  So five months after Motor passed, we decided to adopt again for Tiger.  There were not a lot of kittens available at the time, but we found two boys, similar age, fours months old, from two different litters.  This is Hobbs and Oreo.  You can see I have a thing for ginger cats.  They have been great additions to the family.

Hobbs and Oreo - just adopted.

Two brothers from different mothers.

So anyway, why cats?  I think you can see why.  For me, I want to create art that I feel passionate about, and I have a strong connection to animals.  So this is my starting point.  I know after a while, my imagery will change, but I will always come back to the cat.