Self Paw-Trait 2022

Camilla d'Errico made this painting with some kind of paint, sometime in the last thirty years maybe, and the image is…well, it’s striking! I really dig how d’Errico's thin strokes build up this kind of fuzzy texture to describe the kitten's fur, making the image both soft and strange. The mark-making is so meticulous but then she undercuts it with that colorful, dripping void where the cat's guts should be, which gives it a kind of pop surrealist vibe. The rainbow stripes are so smooth and even, offering a counterpoint to the fur. And those stripes continue into the ground. Looking at the colors on the floor, I think of Wayne Thiebaud and his exploration of surface and the way he abstracts everyday objects. But here, the stakes are higher, right? It's a kitten unraveling, but in such a controlled and beautiful way.