The Sassy Cat Series: 35 Years of Feline Obsession

It Started With One Stubborn Cat

My first sassy cat painting was an accident. I was working on a wildlife piece — a serious, realistic big-cat portrait — when the reference photo I was studying showed the animal mid-blink, with what could only be described as pure contempt on its face.

I leaned into it. I exaggerated the attitude. I made the colors wilder. The result made me laugh out loud at my own canvas, which had never happened before.

That was the first Sassy Cat. Everything since has been chasing that same feeling.

"A great sassy cat painting makes you feel like the cat knows something you don't — and isn't impressed by what it sees."

What Makes a Cat "Sassy"

It is not just the expression. It is the whole composition — the colors that are too saturated to be realistic, the attitude communicated through posture, the sense that this cat has somewhere better to be and you are keeping it.

• Eyes: Always sharp, always a little judgmental
• Color: Pushed past realistic into electric — DJ Kitty is purple and gold, Snow Kitty is arctic blue-white
• Pose: Never submissive, always sovereign
• Background: Dark and dramatic — the cat is the entire event

Thor — My Inspiration

I own a Snow Leopard Bengal named Thor. If you have ever lived with a Bengal cat, you understand the sassy cat series immediately. Bengals are not pets. They are roommates who tolerate you and occasionally destroy your furniture as performance art.

Thor has appeared, indirectly, in more sassy cat paintings than I can count. His energy is all over that collection.

The Collection Today

The Sassy Cats collection now spans 80+ paintings — DJ Kitty, Snow Kitty, Rainbow Kitty, Bubble Cat, and dozens more. They appear on journals, T-shirts, shower curtains, phone cases, tote bags, and throw pillows. They are, unquestionably, the most commercially successful thing I have ever created.

I am not remotely tired of painting them.