"I love cats. In fact I guess I'd say that they are my favorite mammals. Beautifully proportioned, graceful in action or not, cats of all species are natural athletes, selfish and totally independent. They appear to enjoy life, lying about mostly, except when their enormous curiosity is aroused or when hunting. Patience is a quality which serves them well as parents and hunters and yet they often have a nasty side that belies their otherwise gentle disposition and this can turn them into spitting, clawing demons. In short, cats are characters. I admire them.

In my painting, Bobcat - Bluejays, I have shown a pair of shrill jays tormenting a bobcat who is irritated and has casually gathered his legs under him in a gesture of readiness. Anyone who understands cat behaviour will recognize the surly expression on the bobcat's face which forecasts the fate of the bird who gets too close.

I don't often paint such narrative pictures, shying away from the theatrical in favour of the subtle. However, I chose the placid setting of an eastern hardwood forest for my little drama and liked the concept of this somewhat tense scenario staged against a gentle, lyrical landscape.

Oh yes, and for those folks who are worried about the drama's final outcome: the jays, having had their fun, flew off into the safety of the woods, leaving the kitty to drowse in the sun..." - George McLean

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