New Series: “Circle Color Play” Backstory

See a collection of these pieces in my archive here

Four framed pieces from my new series, hung above a black console table and surrounded by houseplants

I’m officially launching my series Circle Color Play! 10 pieces will be available soon on my brand new website. I’ve had so much fun making these and will have more available in the near future.

The way Circle Color Play came to be is so different than anything I’ve created in the past. In fact, the story really begins four years ago, when my husband and I bought property in rural Tennessee where we now live, and the previous owner warned us that the area was a common spot for dumping unwanted animals.

A gray cat named Smokey sits several yards away from the photographer, in a beautiful wooded area in autumn — Smokey hanging around my backyard. It took about 9 months for him to let me pet him. Sadly, we lost Smokey to what we think was FIP

After the first stray cat sighting, I started leaving a blanket and some kibble out on my back deck. I’m a lifelong animal lover, and at the time had a dog and two cats of my own, but I had absolutely no experience with taking care of abandoned cats.

Shadow, my black cat, watching Smokey, a gray stray cat, from inside a sliding glass door. Smokey is sunbathing on the deck. — Shadow and Smokey hanging out

I very quickly figured out that kibble should not be left out overnight after a coyote sighting and the food getting hijacked by raccoons. My new idea was to leave out some strong-smelling wet cat food around the same time every day (and take it back inside a few hours later), so the stray I knew was lurking could smell that it was dinnertime and I could monitor for thieves. We didn’t have any wet food on hand, since both cats were on Hills prescription diet dry food.

Mango, a handsome orange cat, sitting on his cat scratcher on the deck next to a terra cotta pot of purple flowers — Mango, before he agreed to be an indoor cat

I picked up cases of a few different types of wet food to see which attracted our stray the best. After going through a few cases, I started noticing the nice, thick chipboard liners that separated the stacks of cat food cans. The cans had made an interesting pattern of indentions in the chipboard, and my artist brain was intrigued, so I started setting them aside.

I had so many ideas of what I could do with the circle indentions, and I was originally planning on making a few pieces where each indention was a little cat face. I had quite a few of the cat food liners stockpiled before I finally sat down with them. I ended up getting interested in the way different types of paints and oil pastels and color palettes worked on the chipboard. Sometimes, you have to go where the cat food liners are taking you!

Photo from the early days of developing my new series, Circle Color Play. Three abstract, very whimsical paintings on chipboard

If you’re an artist, or any type of creative, you definitely can relate to collecting random things that interest or inspire you. It makes it hard to keep a tidy studio, but it’s an impulse we all have and should embrace more often!

The proceeds of the first piece to sell will go to Smitten Kitten Club, a cat rescue and foster run by a wonderful lady in my area.

A very pretty stray cat named Pepper sunbathing on the deck. She's all black with a tiny patch of white on her chest — Smitten Kitten Club helped us find a forever home for Pepper, one of the first cats we were able to befriend

Caring for these stray cats (and successfully rescuing seven of them over the past four years!) has become one of the most rewarding parts of my life, and I’m having so much fun getting to incorporate a little bit of that into my art.

- c

New Series: “Circle Color Play” Launch & Backstory

Creative Crush Show at Anne Irwin Fine Art

“Dinner Party” solo exhibition at Anne Irwin Fine Art