Meet Oliver, he has been one of my animal teachers. When I met him, I was unaware that I could communicate with animals nor heard what they wanted when I photographed them. But during his photo session I had a keen sense of knowing exactly what he was up to and what he wanted.
This was an enlightening experience for me.
His Dad was helping me to pose Oliver during the photo session and to get him in the perfect position. He’d play with the cat, as well as chase after him when Oliver would take off. It became obvious the cat was laughing and having a blast.
I found myself directing his Dad in what to do, to get Oliver in the right pose. I also would hear the cat giggle as he would run over to me in between shots, to rub against my leg, saying, “Isn’t my Dad funny,” as he basically tormented him and made him play his games so that I could get the perfect photo.
After the photo shoot, I drove home and reflected on how odd it was that I knew the games the cat wanted to play and even heard him giggle. How could this be?
My exposure to cats has been very limited, as I have mostly played with other people’s cats and not really had one for any length of time. As a child, our cats always seemed to run off or we would exchange them for new cats because they were feral and not always the nicest cats for small children.
So it really made me question, “How could I know what a cat would want?”
Oliver was a very powerful teacher that day. He taught me that I really can hear the animals I photograph if I just take the time to tune into them.
This is number three of a series of four paintings for this family.
Often times people say, that looks just like my cat.
So I am making “Li’l Devil with a Dash of Angel” available as a canvas or paper giclee. You will be able to get this in various sizes up to 36 x 36 excluding 12 x 12.
Please let me know if you have interest. I would be happy to customize a giclee for you.
Dawn B Dwyer, Artist 