What do four monkeys, hundreds of cats, and a line of art enthusiasts stretching three blocks long have in common? Opening night of Cat Art Show LA! On January 25th, a handful of PicMonkey staffers headed to sunny Los Angeles for the opening of the largest-ever curated folder of feline-inspired artwork. PicMonkey was one of the sponsors for the event, which included the work of over 70 artists. The show was spearheaded and curated by journalist and producer Susan Michals.
Photo credit: hauspanther.com
Yowsa, what a crowd! The place was packed. Cat as muse, cat as predator, cat as radical, cat as celebrity, and cat as vampire were some of the themes in this eclectic, far-ranging show.
Photo via @rocknrollastyle
Rocking one of the posters for the exhibition was a painting titled “A Great Big Giant World,” by Marc Dennis, which portrays the recording artist Snoop Lion as a museum guard, watching over a painting of a kitten. Dennis has said that his painting is “a riff on the incredible, sometimes overbearing Internet love for cats and the passionate respect and love for hip hop. I look at cats as divas, much like hip-hop culture in a sense has become.”
Shepard Fairey, the street artist cum illustrator who created the famous “Hope” poster of Barack Obama, showed “Radical Cat,” a piece which juxtaposes the iconography of black cats with the history of radicalism, marginalization and the Black Panther Party.
Photo via @catartshowLA
Renowned portrait photographer Frank Stefanko offered “The Lookout,” featuring rock legend Patti Smith with her furry friend.
PicMonkey sponsored a photo booth so people could capture their cat ears, cat leggings (yes, for reals), cat tattoos, and cat hat outfits for posterity. Look who posed…
Artist Gary Baseman was joined by one of the many women looking purrfect in cat ears.
The beloved Colonel Meow’s handler, Susan Avery, and friend gave the cool shoulder.
Artist Michael Wolf suspended work on paintings for a new brewery so he can keep his eyes on YOU!
Somebody got pounced on, one second after the shutter clicked!
`
`
Two kisses are better than one!
PicMonkey staffers Lisa and Christa mugged for the camera. Can you guess who’s 5’1” and who’s 5’10”? (A wooden box was provided for height-seeking peeps.)
Staffers Jonathan and Karen glommed on with smoochie lips and a Larry David stare.
All in all, it was an inspirational show, and a reminder to all PicMonkeyers to feed your creativity with whatever lights your fire: cats, dogs, nature, mustaches, soup cans… anything goes. Brave on, creative makers. Start your next masterpiece!
