Do you know what every artist has in common?

Myo͞oziNGs" by Cheryl Wilson

A Studio Pet!!  Ok, maybe not EVERY artist, but every artist I know, really!!  I think entire blogs could be written with stories of our Studio Pets.  They are a part of our art, they sit with us, take naps with us, take breaks when we do and even get covered with paint with us!

My studio pet is my cat Diva.  I got her as a stray when she was only 2 weeks old.  She was a rescued little kitten and took my heart away the first time I saw her. 

She got her name when she was left alone on my bed and wrapped herself up in my pearls.  She is truly a little sweet Diva.  One of her habits is to take things of mine in her mouth and run away with them if I am not paying attention to her.  I still cannot find some of my earrings and I am sure she has a special secret place she hides them in.

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Diva is very intuitive and can read my emotions.    I actually know her moods and her meows too.  I once saw a story about a man that trained his cat to do sign language …. so I tried it on Diva and whenever she wanted a piece of turkey I made the sign of “to eat” in sign language.  And it WORKED!!  But instead of her putting her paw to HER mouth, she stretches her sweet little paw to my month when she wants her snack!!

She is also a talker and lets me know when she needs my attention with one of her many meows.  IF I ignore her she grabs one of my paint brushes in her mouth and feels it is especially a prize if she grabs the one I am using with fresh paint on it!!

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So I am warning you now, if you call me in my studio around 9am, I will not be there; my studio cat, Diva and I will be having our morning snack together.