::: Area #2 (Gossip)
Message: #42000 (Read 7 times, has 0 replies, 1853 bytes)
Date   : Mon Dec 21 02:54:24 1998
From   : Sdj (#730)
To     : Keith Mckillop (#156)
Subject: Re: Do you want to feel old? (reply to #41998)

  Sj>> a) I always painted cats because I liked (and indeed like) cats.
  Sj>>    Is that not reason enough? And it was quite fun to come up
  Sj>>    with a new way of painting cats every week. :)

  KM> How did you stop them from moving while painting them? Did you have
  KM> to wash them off afterwards? ;)

Well, I can only suggest that you refer to the classic work on this
subject: "Why Cats Paint - A Theory of Feline Aesthetics" by Heather Busch
and Burton Silver [1]. I can do no better than to quote from the book's
blurb:

"The fact that domestic cats are able to make marks with paint has always
been explained by biologists as an instinctive form of territorial marking
behaviour. Now, 'Why Cats Paint' presents a cogently argued theory based
on recent evidence which clearly supports the view that some cat's marks
should be regarded as genuine works of non-primate art.

As well as being an unprecedented photographic record of the artistic cat
at work, 'Why Cats Paint' also explains many aspects of everyday cat
behaviour. Why do cats sit for long periods of time in self-absorbed
reflection? Why do they purr? What is happening when they suddenly rush
madly about? And why do they lie on their backs and look at things upside
down? All these questions, and more, are now able to be answered within
the very understandable context of art.

In this lavishly illustrated and thoroughly researched book, Heather Busch
and Burton Silver outline the many different aspects of feline creativity
and offer a detailed examination of representative works from the best
known cat artists round the world."

Simon J

[1] And if you don't believe it exists, it's published by Wiedenfeld
    and Nicholson, ISBN 0-297-83351-0 and you can buy it from
    www.amazon.co.uk for 7.99UKP. [2]
[2] And it's very, very funny. :)