We always had cats when I was growing up. We doted on them and they were part of our family. When I was six years old, I began drawing. My mom and I would sit together, she drawing animals with pastels on velour and me with pencil on paper. So began my love for art and for animals. During my senior year in High School, I was preparing for a career in Veterinary medicine when an art teacher noticed some raw artistic talent. It was through his influence and encouragement that I decided instead to study Fine Art at the Ringling School of Art & Design..  As a working professional I found myself painting cats from time to time out of utter fascination for the animal. But the real turning point in my direction took place about the time that my wife and I vacationed in Key West. When we got the photos back from our trip, I was struck by a really lovely shot that Kim had taken which became my reference for Helga's Cat. The piece proved enormously popular with jurors and art patrons alike. In order to have more people enjoy my work, we decided to spare no expense and self-publish a line of museum quality, archival prints. In 1997 my wife and I launched www.catmandrew.com, and through the Internet and my art event appearances, more and more cat lovers have found me. The series Drew's Cats has grown in the past 15 years to over 250 images in print, most available in at least three sizes. It is the largest body of work by a single artist in the world, realistically portraying the domestic pet cat in watercolor. So many people have told me that my work captures the essence of the cat. I think I've just touched the tip of the iceberg, celebrating the cat as it really is -- a worthy subject for Fine Art. |
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