In 2016 I decided I wanted to create my own ABC poster of original fantasy creatures. The idea of the Reefcat was the creature that started the whole art project.
In my home, we have a ragdoll cat who can go outside whenever he wants. However, a cat with long fur and limited intellect when it comes to personal hygiene is not a good combination with outdoor life. He could return inside full of dirt, seeds, ants and even an earthworm at one point - he had become his own biotope. At least until I got him back into the bathroom. The long hairs sometimes got tangled and I had to cut pieces of it. Three summers had to take him to the vet and shave the whole cat, which made him look absolutely ridiculous.
His sad revelation, however, became the inspiration for the idea of a completely impractical creature and (because that's how my brain works) a quite terrifying one. The idea of a cat lurking somewhere in the ocean, partially attached to the reef just waiting for an unsuspecting prey to pass by close enough was too exciting not to draw.
Over the years I have created a number of versions of the Reefcat and there will be more, it has become one of my favorite motifs. Usually pencil drawings but I just finished a big one in oil that I had a lot of fun doing. It now takes forever to dry which is the tricky part when it comes to oil painting but I really like working with oil.
The Wandering Mind ABC is now under reconstruction and I hope to relaunch it sometime this spring, the plan is to have it in color this time.