Thursday, March 28, 2024
cat photographscatsdaily photomy household of felinesnamirphotographsvintage photo

Vintage Photo: Pussy Willow

photo of cat sitting by pussy willow in angled sun
Pussy Willow, photograph © B.E. Kazmarski

I rarely remember my dreams so when I do I take note, but they are rarely prophetic, just give me something to think about the next day. Namir appeared in my dream last night. The Five were with me as I got ready for bed, but in my dream I realized I hadn’t seen Namir since dinner, and could even picture him. In truth, I haven’t seen him since July 2009, and I’m not sure what brought him to the present in my mind except that the coming of spring, the forget-me-nots, the garden, always make me think of him. I remembered this photo, one of my favorites of him and generally, just as a photo, kind of abstract, light and dark, reflections and reality, object and shadow, kind of like a dream.

I have this photo hanging in my kitchen and though I see it every day, there are days when it fully captures my attention. I study it, and each time I see more in it.

It’s from the time when I first began to consider my photos “good”, perhaps to consider them “photographs” that I might display and sell as prints and framed items, instead of just “pictures”. This was some time in the late 90s. “Pussy Willow” was taken earlier than that but had stayed on my mind and it was one of the first that made me take another look at my other photos.

What I like most is the abstraction, the light and shadow playing on the objects and the walls, both the pussy willow and the cat turning from positive objects to negative space as the sun and shadow move across them.

I would not have taken the photo without Namir, though. I do like the pussy willow on its own and always have it somewhere around the house where I can enjoy its stark figures. When he got bored with me and walked way I took a photo of just the pussy willow, and it’s nice, but not something I’d frame and hang on the wall.

I always associated Namir with pussy willow too, something about the texture of his fur, and his white oval paws reminding me of the catkins. I turned around, there he sat, that lovely warm spring sunshine washing over the scene, it was as if it was waiting for me to photograph with the old fully manual film-based Pentax K1000.

It was also taken on a day very much like today, a sunny late afternoon in late April or early May. Below is a version of it that I desaturated in PhotoShop and I like the semi-sepia look, but it doesn’t capture that original inspiration, the warm April sunshine literally pouring in the window, coating everything it touched with gold.

photo of cat with pussy willow
“Pussy Willow”

You may have photos like this as well, this is partly why I explained all my reasoning.

An article that tells a little more about Namir and how he came into my life is “Who Was That Namir, Anyway?”, and about his life in my household, “Not a Bad Deal on a Pre-Owned Cat”.

You’ll find Namir mentioned in plenty of articles on The Creative Cat, and don’t forget to look at the header image, which features him in another of his contemplative moments in the sun.


Browse some rescued cats and kittens!

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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.


Inspired by felines you know! Visit Portraits of Animals on Etsy.


© 2014 | www.TheCreativeCat.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

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Weekly schedule of features:
Sunday: Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist’s Life
Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters
Tuesday: Rescue Stories
Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork
Thursday: New Merchandise
Friday: Bok Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy
Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats
And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!

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Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

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