ARTiculations by C.S. Poppenga

This is a detail from a lithograph I created when I was a student at the (then) Alberta College of Art. The title derives from the Egyptian hieroglyphics I incorporated into the composition. Also, the cat is drawn with a definite dividing line down the middle of its face so that if only the dark side is focused on, it gives the profile of a mummified cat (and the dashed white lines across the body below the neck suggest cloth wrappings.)

The "model" is my little furry black buddy, Canuck. I say that in the present tense because Canuck is still very much alive and present; she's about 23 or 24 years old now but still very active and a great companion.

UPDATE: DECEMBER 5TH, 2009
Canuck, my little black buddy for nearly 25 years, crossed over to the other side. It was a privilege to have known her all those years and her conversation will be missed. She was a talkative cat with a very large vocabulary of distinct sounds (way more than the ordinary meow.) All cats have their secret opinions, but Canuck voiced her's. She is missed very much.