Thursday, 30 June 2011

• Everyday Art: Inspirational Kitties and Cats

  Kitten Birth Mews By: Sun At Night Studios

  The key to finding inspiration in everyday places and things is observing. Every single day people see but not always observe. What some people see as just an advertisement; others see as an opportunity or a new design. In a store a consumer pointed to a half printed half handwritten flyer for adopting kitties. Immediately inspiration was found – the need was right there in the front of the store taped to the wall. Kitten Birth Announcements!

  Not always do artists find inspiration from market needs, but they also find it from other art. Paintings, drawings, and photographs (as artist’s we all know this) but the most

  Purr-Vroom By: Sun At Night Studios

  common type of art that we see everyday is the logo. There isn’t a day that goes by that a cool cat can be found on some product in a store. Currently there are about 1,989 logos registered in the United States that has a cat in the trademark or logo. All different kinds of cats can be found. These are real world examples of commercial art. It is a very inspirational source for abstract kitties and cats. The best part is that it’s like viewing a slice of history – past trademarks known as “dead” are viewable just as the “live” logos are. Here are some URLs to some very recognizable cat trademarks:

  • Cat Scale http://catscale.com/sitemap
  • Purr & Simple Cat Litter http://www.purrandsimple.com/
  • Lining Sports Registered Abstract Cat http://tess2.uspto.gov/ImageAgent/ImageAgentProxy?getImage=79076921

  Each one of these trademarks uses the abstract cat in different ways. The Cat Scale trademark and the Lining Sports trademark both utilize symmetrical abstracts even though they are visually different. The Purr & Simple utilizes typography in the ampersand symbol. Each one of these trademarks can serve as inspiration. Other abstract feline shapes can be observed in sculptures and figurines. Study the roundness of the Japanese “Happy Cat” versus the sleekness of the Egyptian cat or note the scenery painted on the Mexican “gato” pottery.

  Turning towards celebrations and events we can see that cats and kitties are well represented

  Scratched Pumpkin By: Sun At Night Studios

  in the paper and stationary products. Cartoons, abstracts, and realistic paintings can serve as popular inspirational jumping off points. Holidays themes inspire fun messages and also provide an opportunity for the quirky abstract. Halloween is a great example of this. There isn't any other holiday that provides more feline abstract fun.

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