"The Absinthe Drinkers"
11 x 14"
Acrylic on canvas

Only the finest will do!

I swear I've learned more about painting undertones from our three black cats than in all my purposeful studying on the matter. My husband and I didn't adopt our trio for art's sake--we're just suckers who visited the shelter for one cat and left with three. :P The trio had shared a kennel for two years and were clearly forged brothers, so it was everyone or no one.

Cat Key

Azrael: Fluffy and in the foreground. Don't let foreshortening fool you--at 7 lbs, he's the smallest of the three by far. He also purrs the loudest somehow! Sweet little angel of death.

Mafi: Upper right with his "judging you" face. He's 15 lbs of solid muscle and is quite the goblin when he's feeling motivated. They're all smart boys; Mafi is just the most likely to problem-solve/get into trouble achieving what he wants while the other two look on in solidarity. It's a good thing we named him after one of our favorite movie villains!

Orson Welles: Upper left with scarred eye and creature comforts belly. (We've trimmed him down from 17 lbs to 14 lbs, FYI!) He's such a sentient teddy bear that, if not for his scars, we wouldn't believe his history as a former street cat. Orson Welles is aptly named, not only for his stocky nature, but his insistence--what he wants, he wants NOW, be it food, lap, or playtime.

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Artwork and text © Arden Ellen Nixon