Studio Cat

Geechi Portrait, 9"x12", charcoal on paper, in sketchbook
©2007 Barbara Sistak Baur

Hello Everyone -- I have cat who basically lives in my studio. Her name is Geechi (first syllable rhymes with “glee”; second syllable rhymes with “me”).

My studio cat sits in a chair next to my easel. I trip over it sometimes but she likes to be by me and I like to reach down and pet her. From time to time, a cat hair will get into a painting. I also have a chair for her next to my office chair. She follows me to my desk there. We also have a special place in front of the studio tv. I have a small sofa and a cozy blanket. Both of us often snug up there for some late night relaxation.

Because she is a studio cat, she is often my unwitting model for warm-up sketches that I do before I begin work. Of course, the problem with animals is that they don’t like to stay still. So it is very difficult to get a long sketch – with them awake, that is. I can get a longer pose if the cat is not aware of my presence or is ignoring me. Here is a portrait I did of her in charcoal. She was very tired so I was able to get a longer pose – but not so long that I could actually get her body.

I know I am writing in the present tense but the very sad news is that recently I lost my studio cat. She just got old and sick. She was 13.

So I went through my old sketchbooks and found several “attempts” of sketching her. I enjoy looking at them and so have posted them online. Some are line drawings with pen and ink and others are charcoal. It is an interesting collection of parts and pieces of cats in a variety of media. To see them, click the Studio Cat topic.

Geechi in Studio

Geechi in Studio, 12"x9", charcoal on paper, in the sketchbook
© 2007 Barbara Sistak Baur, cat mom

Here is Geechi on her chair in the studio. I caught her while she was sitting quietly. So long as I didn’t talk to her, she kept pretty still. But the level of sketchiness demonstrates the very short time I have to sketch her. Because I never know how long I have, I concentrated on getting just her more finished. By the way, the longest sketch I ever did of Geechi was about 45 minutes and that was the portrait in the first entry. Most are 2, 3, 5, 1o or 15 minutes.

Geechi Sunning

Geechi Sunning, 12"x9", charcoal on paper, in the sketchbook
©2007 Barbara Sistak Baur, cat mom

Geechi is lounging in a sunbeam here, one of her very favorite things to do. And it is one place where she would stay for a while without moving. Every afternoon when the sun came in the window, I would find her like this.

Geechi on Chair

Geechi on Chair, 9"x12", charcoal on paper, in sketchbook
©2007 Barbara Sistak Baur, cat mom

This is another day when I caught Geechi on her studio chair. I guess she was feeling lazy because she stayed there quite a while. But she does have that “annoyed cat” expression on her face that says she is losing patience with this nonsense. You see, I would get down on the floor right in front of her to work. Of course, she would turn away often and I would chirp, “Geechi, tsk tsk, “ until she looked back at me. Come to think of it, I might be annoyed by this, too.

Geechi Moving

Geechi Moving, not sure of size, charcoal on paper, in sketchbook
©2007 Barbara Sistak Baur, cat mom

Okay, here is a sketch that is almost entirely from memory because Geechi would not stop moving. She would turn her head this way and that way, shift her body from side to side. I kept sketching her pose after she moved and hoped that she would move back. But she just got up and walked away. Sometimes, she had no patience for me.

Back of Geechi

Back of Geechi, charcoal on paper, in sketchbook
© 2007 Barbara Sistak Baur, cat mom

Sometimes, it was easier to sit in back of Geechi, If she was half-dozing, as cats do, she wouldn’t pay any attention to me because she didn’t know what I was up to behind her. While I could get a finished sketch, it is kinda boring.

Contour Cat

Contour Cat, 8"x5", pen and ink, in the sketchbook
© Barbara Sistak Baur, cat mom

Sometimes it takes just a couple of strokes to capture an image. I got lucky on this day using the ink pen.

Cat Study

Cat Study, 11"x14", pencil on paper
©Barbara Sistak Baur, cat mom

This is a sketch I did from a photograph. I was working on a painting and trying to get her shape right.

Geechi and Majorie

Geechi and Majorie, approx 18"x24", acrylic on board
© Barbara Sistak Baur, cat mom
And here is the painting. By now you recognize Geechi. Majorie is the other cat. They used to like to hang out on the bathroom sink. Don’t ask me why. I found it touching. They are both gone now so this painting is very special to me.

Cat Faces

So far, all of the sketches are fairly finished – but that wasn’t the norm. What follows is a series of fast cat-face sketches that I was able to grab before Geechi said, in actions, “I’m outta here.”

Cat Bodies

I captured both of my cats over the years in various poses and at various levels of skills. In no particular order, here are several of them.

Final Reflection

Final Reflection, 8"x5", pencil, in the sketchbook

© Barbara Sistak Baur, cat mom

This sketch is is very old – certainly one of the first I did of the cats from very early in my career. Technically it is not notable but it captures the delight and surprise the little cat found in looking through the glass door. Maybe it is a little bit of an introspective of myself as I started on my career. What wonders did she see out there? What wonders did I envision for myself? Good bye, little Geechi. I miss you terribly.