trail-cat

24” x 36” Oil on canvas

Trail-Cat is an oil painting capturing a quick, strange, sweet moment on the side of a gravel trail. The person, still wearing a bike helmet, had just pulled over to greet a cat we’ve nicknamed Annie—she shows up often, always somewhere unexpected, walking straight into the center of the trail demanding the attention of whoever is riding past.

There’s a kind of informal ritual to these encounters. You’re pedaling, focused, maybe tired—and then you spot her, lounging in the grass or darting out from the bushes. You stop. You say hi.

I painted this from a photo I snapped mid-interaction: helmet still on, bike just out of frame, the cat in full chaotic energy. The palette leans into purples and greens—grass, gravel, sunlight, movement—trying to hold that feeling of surprise and softness all at once.

This piece, like much of my work, is about slowing down to notice small, passing things. A cyclist and a trailcat. A pause in motion. A moment worth remembering, even if it only lasted a minute.