Sunday, February 9, 2020

A Forest for Cats


If it's true that the purring of cats lowers your cortisol while raising serotonin and oxytocin levels, then I'm now as relaxed as one can physically be. Two days in a cat shelter does that to you, especially while doing what I love most: painting murals.

After a seven month pause (due to my move to Spain), it was great to pick up a brush again and even more so doing it at one of my favourite spots in Antigua Guatemala, Unidos para los Animales' rescue.
In 2018 I painted a tropical garden at the cats´ home while new walls were erected on both sides of the garden. Now those walls were ready, as smooth and white as can be. An 18 meter long canvas waiting to be transformed.
The request was to paint trees, birds, nature. Since the tropical garden with its kittens is pretty wild, colour-wise, I opted for a more subdued design this time. Soft pastels in the background with trees in shades of a greenish blue. The result? You decide for your self.

Besides the constant back-rubs and occasional affectionate nibbles by the cats, it was also great to see my human friends at the rescue and to work again with my assistant Henry Navarijo Calel. He has painted a few murals himself in my absence and he is getting really good!
Henry and Macey
So, one mural down! More to come in the next few weeks!