When I was a kid, I used to draw cats wearing bikinis. The cats were sunning themselves on towels. They all had Cleopatra haircuts, umbrellas, and a tall glass of lemonade. I knew that cats had six boobies, but it looked odd to give them three bikini tops, so usually they only had one bikini top, like a human. They were drawn in pen on the back of my notebooks along with the other thing I loved to draw, which was an eye with impossibly long lashes.
Yesterday, I was talking to another painter, and somehow we got on to the topic of my cats. I have always been sort of embarrassed about that time in my artistic career, but as I began talking about the cats, I started to realize they were pretty cool. The other painter made the suggestion of dressing them in vintage one-piece suits to deal with the nipple problem, which is a great idea. Now I am thinking, cats in swim suits! How original! How cool! I think I will write a book about it.
It is also important to note that most cats do not like water, so putting them in swim suits seems like a crazy idea. I never actually thought they would go swimming, even though turquoise tropical waters lapped the shore nearby.
What did you draw when you were a child?
How do your childhood subjects relate to what you create today?
How do you keep your inner child alive and well?
How do you find your inspirations, or connect with the imagination?
the creative lexicon 