When Tom Ward and Michael Bonds invited me to join the show “Animal House” at the Aspen Chapel, images flooded my head! The following day, I noticed our neighbor’s Siamese cat outside in my garden, toying with a small bird. I decided to dedicate my art to birds that have fallen to domestic cats. I painted tanagers and hummingbirds, ptarmigans and emus.

Ptarmigans in Spring Snow

Owlets

I’d also recently been back to South Africa to visit family and a game reserve. I wanted to reference my visit (and the cat theme) by painting lions. That didn’t quite work; however, I’ve included African bush elephants, and a tracker holding a buffalo skull.

Tracker

African Bush Elephants

The Animal House Art Show runs from February through March, 2025!