Elaine Luther – Tiny Cats with Tea and Cake, and in Other Unexpected Situations

Elaine Luther – Tiny Cats with Tea and Cake, and in Other Unexpected Situations

“For my 100 Day Project, I took hundreds of photos with miniatures, along with empty spools of thread, with text fragments wrapped around them. I decided I didn’t want people in them, largely because most dollhouse dolls look weird, but the photos needed something alive in them, so I began trying out miniature cats, birds, dogs and bunnies. The cats worked best. The birds worked well too, but I tried not to put the cats and birds together in the same scene. I thought the cat staffers would enjoy this show of portraits of fellow tiny cats. Some of them bear a striking resemblance to the staffers at the Tiny Cat Gallery.”

Artists Statement

“My work is about expressing ideas, feelings, complaints, protests, in the form of something that people recognize. These have included medals, household shrines, tiny houses, and clothing. I have expressed frustration about housework, grief about the death of my child, made abstract work about the challenge of juggling it all.

Currently I am working with clothing and the house form. Houses are seen in the Jungian tradition as a metaphor for self. Some of my Tiny Houses are about identity and feelings.

While the Tiny Houses are about emotions and memory, the wearable art (which may or may not ever be worn) is all about protest and craftivism, using traditional methods of women’s handwork, applied to commercially made garments.

I use appliqué, embroidery, found quilt blocks, textile collage and quilting, together with quotes, poems and slogans to get the viewer to take a look at my message, to pay attention.

In addition, in 2021, I did a 100 Day Project involving taking photos of miniatures. I acquired more and more miniatures as I strove to create variety in my images. This project probably contributed in some way to my opening a miniature art gallery, an art project that quickly got out of hand, as I now have 4 miniature galleries, three are 12″ x 12″ x 12″ and one is 12″ x 16″ x 12″.”

www.ElaineLutherArt.com

Find Elaine on Instagram as

@elaine_luther  @angelicakauffmangallery

 

*Waits for guests to arrive at tea party.*
Photo by Elaine Luther, 2021.
2.5” x 3.5” mounted on foam core.

“I have long made art with vintage wooden spools and for my 100 Day Project this year, I started making little scenes with them and taking photographs. I added in dollhouse miniatures, but something was missing, they needed something alive in them. Most dollhouse people are unsatisfactory, for assorted reasons, so I started gathering tiny cats, bunnies, dogs, and birds. The cats worked the best and soon #caturday turned into cat week.”

“Got any fish?” Betsy asked, ever hopeful.
Photo by Elaine Luther, 2021.
2.5” x 3.5” mounted on foam core.

“When you take photos with miniatures for 100 days, you have to get creative. By the end, I was gluing tiny mulch to a board to create an outdoor park for the cats to hang out in. These trees are from an artist friend who brings me bags of bits and pieces that she knows I’ll have a use for. This park scene, with the apparent conversation between the two cats, is a favorite.”

 

“Really hope this milk isn’t expired,” thought Bertrand.
Photo by Elaine Luther, 2021.
2.5” x 3.5” mounted on foam core.

“It can be a dangerous thing when buying absolutely adorable miniatures is a legit business expense for you! I couldn’t resist this little trash can, which is real metal. A bulk buy of assorted beverages gave me enough to fill the trash can, and luckily, there was a bottle of milk. I know milk isn’t really good for cats, but Investigating Kitty can’t resist.”

Matilda, Queen of All She Surveys, “I am not wearing those bowling shoes.”
Photo by Elaine Luther, 2021.
2.5” x 3.5” mounted on foam core.

“The mini bowling pin from the same awesome friend who brought me the tree parts. It’s wonderful to be friends with artists, who also see possibilities in things. Until this show, the cats didn’t have names. It’s fun to see their imagined personalities grow as I write about them more, make videos, and give them names.”

*When you can’t tell if your prey is plastic or real…*
Photo by Elaine Luther, 2021.
2.5” x 3.5” mounted on foam core.

“I tried not to put the birds in the same picture with the cats, until this photo. Investigation Kitty is on the hunt.”

“I think I’m afraid of heights,” thought Matilda, but it was too late.
Photo by Elaine Luther, 2021.
2.5” x 3.5” mounted on foam core.

Ponders life then takes a nap
Photo by Elaine Luther, 2021.
2.5” x 3.5” mounted on foam core.

#relatable. Lockdown life has us all appreciating a good nap more than ever.