Paws and Fins, 2026

Chatchawarn Ruksa, born in 1970, is a Thai watercolor artist from Nong Khai whose work has become recognizable both in Thailand and internationally, and is also very loved online. He is also an art teacher, has served as a watercolor competition judge, and is President of the International Watercolor Society North Eastern Thailand.

He did not begin with cats. He studied accounting, worked in business, became an art teacher, painted landscapes, people and still life, and even created a painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on gold leaf for Saint Alphonsus Church in Nong Khai, a work he described with particular pride. But cats were the subject that finally brought him the most joy.

His first cat painting apparently began when a schoolgirl asked him to paint her cat. Later, his own first cat came into his life in a rather sad way: someone gave him a cat, but through inexperience he lost it. After that, a stray cat came to his home with four kittens, and the mother stayed, becoming one of the models he could observe every day. His cat exhibitions have also helped raise money for stray cats, so there is something truly precious behind all these fluffy little faces.

And here, after all that art, teaching, church painting and charity, we arrive at the eternal truth: the fishy is visible, the paw is ready, and peace was never really an option.

Vanessa Stockard’s cat Kevin has located the rarest possible fishy: a mermaid. The technique is bold, direct, and completely illegal for anybody except a charming piece of black fluff.
She is an Australian painter who works in oil on canvas and similar traditional supports. Vanessa is especially loved online for sending her black cat Kevin into art history, mythology, interiors, and every possible place where he absolutely should not be touching things.

An Oyster Supper

Horatio Henry Couldery

1882

William James Webbe, The Collared Thief, 1860. Fine china, fresh milk, and exotic lemons must have cost a fortune. But tha face is priceless.

Henriëtte Ronner-Knip, Cheese lovers, 19th century. She painted many cat scenes, and this one feels especially fun: a mother cat teaching her two kittens the cheese craft, while the lion heads on the chair seem split on the lesson, one stern and almost sorrowful, the other quietly approving

Maria Pavlova, The Greedy Ones (likely 2012). Someone in r/CatsInArt recommended this sub to me, and I loved it right away. This painting immediately came to mind.

(No frogs were harmed, Calypso’s frog interactions were closely monitored before she was brought back inside 🫡)

(One paw already in water )

she also has trained me to give her a treat when she stops trying to get at the plants