"We should be more like cats: soulful, stylish, and entirely unconcerned with others’ opinions" says artist Heather Mattoon, motivating her lovely Cats in Clothes series of paintings. Each portrait shows a unique character, each cat having a distinct personality and an outfit to match. Also every art piece comes with a brief description, a teaser to a fun possible story.
Savannah by Heather Mattoon, Cats in Clothes
The artist living in Santa Barbara, California aims to offer a sense of joy and peace through her artwork. An unfortunate spinal cord injury led Heather to become more patient and stay focused on her art. The artist’s previous series of Bird portraits, Birch Trees, Invisible Cities and Elemental series send out a soothing message through warm, natural colors and repetitive elements. Most of them evolved from Heather's use of painting process for meditation.
Cats in Clothes bring something lively and optimistic that surpasses a meditative tone. Sure, cats are lost in thought sometimes but they’re also very stylish. The series share a unique mix of playful and strict with realistic details in soft brush strokes enlivened by human like expressions and custom outfits. It all started with the portrait of Heather’s own feline pet, Megan, in a fashionable trench, suited for her sassy attitude. The Cats in Clothes series are all painted on 9" x 12" masonite boards with acrylic paint and glazes.
