Death on a Pale Rat, 2020 is a play on the DIA’s great painting, “Death on the Pale Horse” by Benjamin West (1738—1820). I believe my mentor at the DIA, Nancy Rivard Shaw was very involved in the painting being purchased by the museum. At any rate, this West painting has always had a special place in my heart.
I painted an earlier version (8 x 10” on panel) that appeared in my Scarab Club exhibition, “Cats Rule: The Art of Michael Crane in 2019.”
I have been toying with the idea of painting a large canvas with artist friend Mike McMath where we have a full-on battle with sword wielding Snuggie Cats, some of which are mounted on rats…could be epic!
