Cat with Scissors

The flame-blue gaze of Lizbeth Stewart's ceramic cat boldly intersects ours as we pass by.  With her head cocked and eyes blazing, she seems vividly alive, poised to pounce on anyting that moves.  It is as if a china knickknack had grown to colossal proportions and sprung miraculously to life.

Other details suggest, however, that the artist never intended her creation to mimic reality fully.  For example, fanciful black stripes alternate with bands of soft ochre in a pattern never found in nature.  In some respects, this enigmatic creature evokes the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility.

Look carefully at the open pair of scissors.  They, too, are made of clay and colored with glaze.  A magician with her materials, Stewart excels at fooling our eyes.