Cello player’s cats

I finally finish this one. Probably will touch up a bit more. This is an impromptu one. I’m sure the next one will be better. I called this the cello player’s cats. The cello was inspired by the japanese film departure (okuribito) that won the academy award in the foreign film category. It was about a cello player who gave up his cello playing career to go back to his home town and discover a new life working as 納棺师，noukanshi. Literary it means a person who prepares the dead for ‘encoffinment’. To truly appreciate the movie, it is good to understand the long history of confucianism  from china. And the importance of 尊, respect and  礼, ritual.  There are also other interesting representations of how japanese deals with relationship appearing in the film: between the superior and the subordinate, between husband and wife, between parents and children. And also how japanese deals with death. Again, just like slumdog, the ending was a disappointment. However, there are many really good scenes that make the movie worth watching.

In the drawing, the cello player has left the room. The three cats came in and played with the music sheets. For some reason, as the music sheets fell all over the floor, the musical notes on them also came off the sheets. How will the cello player be able to put them back together again? I stole the flower motif from Eng Tay’s paintings that are still being exhibited at the Petronas Gallery at KLCC. The motif just sort of makes the cats look like part of the decor. It just reminds me of a proverb I read somewhere before. It says something like, you don’t need any art at home if you have cats. I still cannot remember where I read it or who said it.

The optimistic cat

No dry boring biscuit for me. Good things come to those who wait… for canned premium cat food.

Gatti big and small #3

56cm x 41 cm. This is Gatti, at the table’s edge. I’m still not exactly sure why I draw. Or what I can do with it. I certainly didn’t find it in books. I haven’t been drawing in pencil for awhile. Still the cheapest way to draw. What is that something that a photograph cannot capture? A photograph can show almost exactly what our eyes can see. Why do we want to create something unreal instead?

Gatti big and small#2

I finally make use of the canvas I bought some time ago. Because I only have enough black and white acrylic left, so I decided to do a black and white instead. This is gatti walking into the master bedroom. The sunlight from the window in the room illuminated his face. His eyes are always half open when he’s not really interested in anything. I like the fact that he looks like he’s actually walking out of the picture. Looks better under the warm light. The colour correction I did on the photo did not do justice to the painting. Gatti is also the only cat I have that cannot have his picture taken with a flash. The flash can only catch his eyes half open. I always find painting very messy. Still like colour pencil instead.

gatti big and small #1

Gatti big and small

My handsome cat.

So is it done…?

The drawing didn’t turn out very well. Probably will scrap it and start a new one. At least the model is interested…