Mistress of the Cats 1987

Boris Vallejo created this painting called Mistress of the Cats using oil on canvas. Look at the way Vallejo laid down these creamy, dreamy colours like pale ambers and cloudy blues - it’s almost like glazing, a process where transparent layers of paint build up over time. There’s such a smooth, tactile quality to this painting. You can see how he has blended the paint, softening the forms to create a certain atmosphere. In the way the cats are painted in particular, there is such great attention to the animals’ musculature. Even the rocky textures that the animals perch on feel soft to the touch. Just look at the way the paint gently curves to create the lioness’s thigh as she sits to the bottom left of the scene. I’m reminded a little of Frank Frazetta’s paintings when I look at Vallejo’s work - particularly how Frazetta uses light and shadow to create a sense of drama, and his use of fantasy themes to evoke emotion. When you look at a painting like this, remember that art is all about conversation, and the conversation never ends!