How Hong Kong cat and art lovers can combine their passions by painting their pets
A studio in To Kwa Wan is hosting a cat jamming session for all ages to coincide with its exhibition of Dutch photographer Marcel Heijnen’s shots of Hong Kong shop cats
Lovers of arts and cats are in for a treat at a studio in To Kwa Wan.
The aptly named Swing A Cat studio – run by husband and wife team Catherine (Cat) Tai and Stephen Case – is holding a cat jamming session, allowing artists to paint their favourite feline friend, on May 28 from 3pm.
The session coincides with the studio’s hosting of the “Swing a Cat Shop” exhibition by Dutch photographer Marcel Heijnen that runs till June 4. Heijnen’s images focus on the city’s cats – “feline emperors” – that occupy shops in Hong Kong.
Watch: HK's cat photographer Marcel Heijnen
Case says cat jammers can use Heijnen’s photos as inspiration or they can bring a photo of their own cat and paint it.
“Our tutor Emily will help people out and of course Cat and I will be there.”
“We had a session a couple of weeks ago that went pretty well so I'm sure our next one will be a lot of fun,” he says.
“Everyone knows how to draw – most people just don’t practise it. From the age of four we are able to write our own name. We can take a drawing instrument and use it to make meaningful shapes on paper. There’s an evil myth out there that a few special people ... can draw and everyone else can’t. It’s total BS!
“Trust me, if you can write your own name, you can draw a cat,” says Case.
Swing a Cat also hosts kids’ arts and craft classes and caricature workshops (Case is a former art director of the South China Morning Post and The Australian).
Swing a Cat , 241 Rear Shop, To Kwa Wan Road, To Kwa Wan. Open 3pm-8pm Wednesday to Sunday.
