Space Cat (2014)

Space Cat, 2014, was painted when I was living in San Francisco.  I used a canvas from one of the two value packs (18 x 24”) I inherited because the factory gesso was too thinly sprayed on.  Essentially, all I needed to do was apply a good layer of gesso on myself—no issues on my end.  Because the canvases were free, I was a little looser with them and more experimental than typical.  These four free canvases eventually became, Underwater Cat, Parachute Cat (study), Clarinet Cat, and Space Cat. 

Space Cat features an elated astronaut cat waving to its viewers on the moon.  Flying overhead is a space shuttle that I believe turned out really well.   Space Cat is included in the catalogue, “The Art of Michael Crane: Cats Rule.”  The painting is currently unframed, so I will likely remedy that situation soon.    

Pearl Gourami, 2021

I am really having a great time painting tropical fish lately and I am thrilled with the way this painting turned out. I typically find gouramis body shapes extremely fun to paint—their appearance is on the quirky side. There are of course considerable variances within the species, which keeps things fresh and motivating. Their thin long ray-like fins stemming from the pectoral area are a really interesting characteristic. For this painting, I really enjoyed working up ideas on how to best capture the spotting found on pearl gouramis. I think the blue circles I painted playfully did the trick. Using a bright yellow for the gourami really stands out against the blue field color.

Red Snake, 2019

Red Snake is a Venetian Plaster.  The technique was taught to me by artist friend, Mike McMath.  I should probably say, my good friend Mike McMath who also happens to be a very talented artist. 

The painting appeared in an exhibition at the Saginaw Art Museum called, “Plaster and Wax: Michigan Artists Painting Beyond the Canvas (Featuring Mike McMath), June 14, 2019 – September 14, 2019.  I showed three additional paintings in the exhibition that also including “Rhino Ride” and another version of “Rhino Ride” done in Venetian Plaster.

Noir Medusa Cat with Red Flower, 2020

Noir Medusa Cat with Red Flower was completed in late 2020 (November-ish I believe).  I had wanted to paint a medusa cat hold a flower for a while, so I am glad I got around to it.  The canvas is a play on my Otto Dix Cat motif, which has been a mainstay in my work.  The trident tail amuses me to no end and I am laughing as I am typing.  When I get a chance, I am thinking about making this painting into a sticker to hand out the next time I exhibit my work.

Medusa Cat

Medusa Cat simply makes me laugh.  I believe I have painted three version of Medusa Cat, each with a different background color (red, green, and the above).  The snake heads remind me of the Pacman videogame character and the Medusa Cat’s green tongue really works well against the background/field color.