In light of illustrator Lauren Mortimer's piece 'Cats in Disguise', which is a glorious new addition to the Hornshaw Gallery, this week's post theme is cats!

Lauren Mortimer's playful illustrations, primarily drawn in pencil, have an underlying humourous and often dark tone to them. 

"My influences are first and foremost everything I see, feel and experience. Using the natural world and surrealism, I often transform my subjects by contrasting and reworking them, capturing an air of curiosity. From ice-cream-brains to gun bunnies, I try to take a tongue- in-cheek approach to my artwork; after all it should be fun!"

Another artist who has used cats as inspiration is Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda. We thought we'd round of this post with his piece 'Cat's Dream'. 

Cat's Dream

How neatly a cat sleeps,
sleeps with its paws and its posture,
sleeps with its wicked claws,
and with its unfeeling blood,
sleeps with all the rings- 
a series of burnt circles- 
which have formed the odd geology
of its sand-colored tail.

I should like to sleep like a cat,
with all the fur of time,
with a tongue rough as flint,
with the dry sex of fire; 
and after speaking to no one,
stretch myself over the world,
over roofs and landscapes,
with a passionate desire
to hunt the rats in my dreams.

I have seen how the cat asleep
would undulate, how the night
flowed through it like dark water; 
and at times, it was going to fall
or possibly plunge into 
the bare deserted snowdrifts.
Sometimes it grew so much in sleep
like a tiger's great-grandfather,
and would leap in the darkness over
rooftops, clouds and volcanoes.

Sleep, sleep cat of the night,
with episcopal ceremony
and your stone-carved moustache.
Take care of all our dreams; 
control the obscurity
of our slumbering prowess
with your relentless heart
and the great ruff of your tail.

Translated by Alastair Reid.