Cat Pong is a game with one player and no rules.
In this series, I paint my cat on old ping-pong paddles. Cats bat. Paddles bat. That small coincidence was enough to start a rally. The cat does not play, though. He naps, stretches, rolls over, and stares up at me, and he does all of it with complete confidence. He is the best teacher I know of how to take the day off.
The paintings are loose and quick, made with the same ease I see in him. A few brushstrokes of fur, a patch of green, a wash of pink and blue. The paddles keep their handles and their worn stickers, so each piece stays half toy and half portrait.
Cat Pong is about play, rest and the quiet joy of a creature who has nothing to prove. Nobody keeps score. Everybody wins.
Acrylic on wooden table tennis racket
A cat curls into soft washes of lilac, pink and blue. The round blade of a table tennis paddle becomes a small stage, and the sleeping body follows its curve. A portrait on an object made for play. Quiet, warm and a little funny.
Acrylic on wooden table tennis racket (25×15 cm)
A cat sprawls belly up on warm ochre, paws in the air, completely unbothered. The gold ground and the loose, quick strokes give the pose its ease. Painted on a table tennis paddle, where the only game is a nap.
Acrylic on wooden table tennis racket
A young tabby looks straight at you, green eyes wide, one paw reaching toward the edge. The blue-grey ground keeps the focus on the gaze. Painted on a table tennis paddle, an object made for play, now holding a quiet portrait.
Acrylic on wooden table tennis racket (25×15 cm)
A tabby curls into a tight round on a bright green ground, eyes still on you. The body fills the blade like a ball, and the stripes move in circles. A cat portrait on a table tennis paddle.