Benny Cat
The Original Benny Cat
6 1/2" Hoop
Benny Cat began to take form when I saw a cat face on a piece of pottery at Urban Mining Homewares, a totally unique, locally owned, open-only-on-first-Friday-weekends shop in Kansas City. I thought the face was so adorable that I sketched it - which was totally unlike me at the time - but not realizing how important it would become to me, I didn't buy the piece. Six months later, after I had begun to embroider, I remembered that face, found the scratch paper with the hastily-drawn image, and Benny was born. Once his personality began to emerge, I realized he's just like my lovable fat cat, Sammie, who has fun no matter what kind of trouble and mess he’s making, all in wide-eyed innocence. The whimsical cartoon flavor must come from the comic books I loved when I was a kid.
My friend watched me working on the original Benny and said, "I can totally see that cat in a window," and so I began the second Benny. And then I could see him on a trash can. And then in a bathtub. And on and on. Benny has evolved over time. Sometimes he's in a yarn-wrapped embroidery hoop (color-coordinated, of course), and sometimes he's formally matted and framed. Sometimes he's hot pink, and sometimes he's orange, or gold with stripes. At times his environment is sketchy and left mostly to the imagination, and at others it is quite detailed. In all of them, Benny is distinctly Benny.
My friend watched me working on the original Benny and said, "I can totally see that cat in a window," and so I began the second Benny. And then I could see him on a trash can. And then in a bathtub. And on and on. Benny has evolved over time. Sometimes he's in a yarn-wrapped embroidery hoop (color-coordinated, of course), and sometimes he's formally matted and framed. Sometimes he's hot pink, and sometimes he's orange, or gold with stripes. At times his environment is sketchy and left mostly to the imagination, and at others it is quite detailed. In all of them, Benny is distinctly Benny.
The "Original" Benny Cat
By the way, when I realized how important that pottery piece had become to me, I went back to Urban Mining to find it. It took a full year for it to show up again (it's that kind of a store), but it did, and I bought it, and now it resides in my studio, holding Tootsie Roll pops and watching the evolution of its progeny.
Benny Cat Gallery
Click on the image to enlarge the photo and see the caption.
