Shelby Pothier is an amazing watercolor artist. She gets inspiration for her art from many things, but her greatest muse is her cat, Daphne.
Nature and cats
Shelby graduated with a degree in fine arts in communication design, and she lives in Washington. She is very inspired by the natural beauty of her surroundings in the Pacific Northwest, as well as her pet cat. On her website, she says:
“My two biggest muses are my cat Daphne and the beautiful nature of the Pacific Northwest.”
According to Daphne, she loves to paint both natural scenery and pets because they can both be very unique and varied. She says:
“I love taking my sketchbook out with me on hikes on the coast or in the mountains just as much as I love painting pet portraits at home. The unique personalities of animals inspire me just as much as the endlessly flowing and changing lines of nature.”
Shelby captures the personalities of the cats that she paints so beautifully. You can really tell what makes each of them unique.
She enjoys receiving requests from people who want her to paint their pets. She makes them come to life with her light and natural watercolor style.
The greatest muse
Out of all the cats that Shelby has painted, the most inspiring is her cat, Daphne. She says:
“As an artist, my cat is my greatest muse.”
Daphne is definitely an inspiring cat. Shelby describes her as “purrfection,” and we’re inclined to agree. She has a lovely black and white coat of fur and very pretty green eyes. She also strikes some great poses that just look so fun to paint, especially with her little teeth sticking out like baby fangs.
Daphne looks especially dazzling with some gold leaf applied to the painting, transforming her into a “glorious icon.”
She even puts up with some of the more crazy art that Shelby creates, like one piece where she took a picture of Daphne with a cardboard pizza on her head and made it into a painting.
Shelby loves painting her cat so much. Even though she creates lots of other artwork, she makes sure to create a Daphne portrait every month or so.
Cats make great muses, especially this artist’s beloved cat. We love seeing all the artwork and how it shows Shelby’s love for Daphne and Daphne’s amazing personality.