Commissioned Portrait - Grandfather and His Cat, Part II

To prepare psychologically for this special portrait, I researched the subject of 'men and cats'. Being highly visual, my process is to gather many images on the subject. The sexist stereotype of 'men preferring dogs and women preferring cats', I find aberrant. I believe that people with a propensity for introversion will tend to prefer the quiet and independent feline companion, such as - but not exclusively - writers and artists.  Here are just a few of my favourites images of famous cat lovers.

Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Joey Ramone

George Balanchine

Russel Brand

Edward Gorey

Truman Capote

Brian John Busby

The last one being of my husband Brian with Morley, 1989. I would love to have a cat, but my asthma and allergies make it too difficult. None the less, I adore painting them.

This commission portrait will be highly customized. My client requested that her grandfather be sitting in his recliner with his cat on his lap, but did not have an actual photograph. She also requested that the cat tower and the throw on the recliner be included in the painting. Clothes are also an important part of how we remember our loved ones. We often have a mental image of them dressed a certain way. In this case, my client's grandfather will be wearing a dark plaid shirt. Like a puzzle, I will use all these elements and create a lasting image and a very personal one.

Grandfather - 'Papa'

Plaid shirt

His cat Abraham 

The blue recliner, cat tower and throw.

Detail of the throw with golf theme pattern.

But first I will sketch the star of the portrait so he can oversee the entire process with me. If I get stuck, I will ask him for guidance.