Introduction Post

The Art Jungle Gallery

Welcome to the the most pawsome gallery around town! The Art Jungle Gallery! 

Located at: 

1234 Hollywood Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90028

(323) 789 - 7676

This gallery is run by Sabrina Astran, a member of the Future Cat Ladies of America. 

This gallery specializes in both traditional and digital paintings, as well as sculptural work. 

Exhibition Introduction

Welcome to the Art Jungle! 

Thank you for coming to see what we have to offer today! Here we are dedicated to the education and exposure of not only how majestic wild felines are, but also to expose you to how majestic and diverse they can appear out here in the artistic jungle! Not to mention the artists who take their time to create such wonderful masterpieces. 

Each artist has been observed in their natural habitat and here are some of the most exquisite findings we have to share with you today. Each piece striking the curator worthy enough to roar out loud to the public as a wild cat! Roar out loud with us today as you look upon these works and feel the power behind each art work! 

So please join me in holding a round of applause for our wild cats of the Art Jungle!

Lion Tamer's Daughter by Jennifer Li

Golod by Martin Wittfooth

I AM NO MAN! by Shelby Cragg

Lion Queen by Yuko Ota

Flamenco Rose Marissa by Amy Lacombe 

Lackadaisy Moonshine by Tracy J. Butler

Predators and Prey by SHAG

Olympia by Edouard Manet 

King of Panthera by Fiona "Tang"

Elven Princess by Jeff de Boer 

Purrollin' with the Best of Them

The Lion Tamer's Daughter 

Jennifer Li
The Lion Tamer's Daughter
Oil on panel
9" x 12"

Jennifer Li is an American artist who has been painting since 1999. She studied painting for 12 years at the Art Students League of New York. She now lives in Montana. Her art has spread throughout the United States and she has had several pieces in galleries in Montana, New York, Washington, and California.

Straightforwardly beautiful. An element of weird. - New York Times

Li has an extensive collection of paintings that are themed with the circus, with many of those having large wild cats in them. In all of these, there is one focus, and there is not much going on in the background because she doesn't want to deter the viewer from the subject. With quite a few of the pieces with the subject staring directly at the audience.

This piece fits the gallery because of its soft nature, the purpose of this exhibit is wild cats, but wild cats come in all natures and even species. Both the girl and the lion are wild cats. The lion in its inherent nature, and the girl in her control over the lion. Their ferocity in a quiet manner, in an act really. I chose this piece because of the lion's face as well as the combination of both a girl and a lion in the same piece. Because there is not a single definition for a wild cat. It is where ever you see the wild in someone's eyes.

Roarin' Out Loud

Golod

Martin Wittfooth
Golod
Oil on Linen
24" x 24"
2012

Martin Wittfooth is an artist based out of Brooklyn, New York where he works. He was born in Canada but raise din Finland. Wittfooth first graduted from Sheridan College in Toronto and then got a masters later on from The School of Visual Arts in New York. He has had several galleries all over America as well as Europe, and his art has graced the covers of books and magazines such as Hi Fructose and American Artist.

Martin Wittfooth’s piece Golod is not unlike the rest of his works, beautifully detailed and where both the atmosphere and subject matter feel ethereal. - Megan Wails.

Wittfooth has done many pieces that have an emphasis on animals and the human materials around them. And a sense of surrealism to how everything is presented. Ethereal and very grounded all at once, the backgrounds and subjects blending together to make a conhesive piece. This particular piece is more vague than others, it has more of the surreal feeling.

I believe this fits the theme of wild cats because of the tiger in the piece, as well as the surreal feeling of it all. It certainly is a wild visual ride. The feel of the painting and the way the tiger yawns, releasing more and more tigers is very captivating. It almost feels like a mutation caused by the human world, and  the tiger still remains. I chose this piece because I adore tigers and as one of the most iconic wild cats out there, it needs to be in this gallery.

Poised to Pounce

I AM NO MAN!

Shelby Cragg
I AM NO MAN!
Photoshop
1280 x 1683 px (pixels)
2013

Shelby Cragg is a student at Ringling College of Art and Design. She is an illustrator based in North Carolina and is a freelancer, as well as working in collaboration with a popular webcomic called Homestuck. She lives at school mostly with her cat Roxy.

" No man can defeat me... I AM NO MAN! Eowyn from Lord of the Rings slaying the Witch King. Baller."

I AM NO MAN! is a fanart piece of the popular book and movie trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. Specifically this piece is a play on a scene in the third installment of the trilogy 'The Return of the King'. Cragg is a feminist who loves to promote well written women in art, movies, and comics. Eowyn, having such a pivotal moment in the movie, and her gender playing a positive role in it touched many people, Cragg included. And so Cragg decided to draw this because who doesn't love a badass female character!

This connects to the theme of wild cats because women are much like cats. Fierce and wild and always willing to strike out at those who try to attack them. This scene with Eowyn got me so excited when I saw it, and seeing Cragg illustrate it is so moving too. It is so much more dynamic, the perspective and the framing, as well as the text within the work all mesh together so well. Her long golden hair could be liken to that of a lion, majestic and almost overwhelming. I chose this piece in particular because I love seeing women in power and with swords. Swords are aweosme.

Hail to your Alpha Female

Lion Queen 

Yuko Ota

Lion Queen

Pencils and Photoshop

821 x 900 px (pixel) 

2013

Yuko Ota is a cartoonist who specialized in digital format comics, though she has printed a few things. She is based in New York and lives with several of her friends and two cats in a shared apartment. She has recently been involved in several collaborative projects for the arts and how to bring and expose people to new art as well as properly supporting artists. 

"Meticulously cleaned up and colored a thing I drew at a coffee shop today."

Ota has always been an artist interested in illustrating fantastical things as well as using line to lead the eye on a journey through waves and curves. Pulling inspiration from old stories as well as different cultures is a thing Ota does a lot. This particular piece plays into many things Ota is keen on. Such as cats, as well as transformations. 

This piece connects to the theme of wild cats because the lion is one of the most majestic and wild cats out there in nature. Despite the fact that this painting is anything but wild outwardly, it does not mean it couldn't be wild within. Clearly something had to happen for that lion to be cloaked upon the woman as such. But there is a beauty in all of this, besides the obvious flowers. It is in the quiet peace of the woman wearing the lion, possibly ready to strike out and kill whoever comes by. And it is in the nature of the lion, draped down, the mane like flames licking down. I chose this particular piece because the colours and the line struck me with awe. I thought it fitting to put with all these cats. 

Pounce Around

Flamenco Rose Marissa

Amy Lacombe 

Flamenco Rose Marissa

Ceramic clay 

5" high, 4" length, 3" wide 

2010

Amy Lacombe is an American contemporary ceramic folk artist. She works from her studio in Los Angelos, California where she crafts a number of different things. From cats, to clocks, music boxes, napkin rings, or whatever a client asks for.

"I love people, animals and color, and I like to make people smile. This is the inspiration I use to create my happy bits of art. I am so grateful to be able to incorporate my passions into my work."

The Flamenco Rose Marissa is part of a collection/set that Lacombe started. It features all cats of different personalities. From dancing, to holidays, to seasons and even foods, the cats are endless. Each cat is posed in a similar fashion with a somewhat similar face, but from there, it's hands off, because of how different each cat is painted and decorated. Flamenco Rose Marissa stemed from Flamenco dancing and shows it off with beautiful floral accents. 

I believe this cat fits the theme for the gallery because well, purrhaps not all cats are wild in their actions, but they can be wild in style! Flamenco Rose Marissa has that wild side of her on the outside for everyone to see. her striking colours would attract anyone, especially if they wanted a piece of the wild. In part, I chose this piece because this is a wild cat, and well, how could I not include Amy Lacombe. I have been a fan of her work for a while, and have a few of my own Whimsiclay Amy Lacombe cats.