Heavenly Beverley : Another Artist in the Family

Saturday, 16 November 2019

Another Artist in the Family

We have now had Stella's company in the House of the Beverley Hillbillies for three months. She continues to delight, amuse, annoy and confound us. That she is intelligent is apparent for all to see, as well as expressive, loving, hilarious, playful, optimistic and occasionally naughty. She has returned joy to Pip's life and profound irritation to Ruby's existence. However, we had no idea of her artistic flair when we first brought her home. Only slowly did she reveal her hidden talents.

Give a paintbrush to an elephant or a seal and they can attempt to produce a masterpiece. Allow birds or cats to use their paws or claws and the result may be pleasantly amateurish. However, Stella has shown us that she is exceedingly multi-ambidextrous, which is the secret of her stunning capabilities.

If truth be told, we should have known. Michael, being a sculptor, was bound to pass on some of his technique to pique Stella's extremely vivid imagination. Plus, we had witnessed her making full usage of her front paws, almost as if they were hands.

She has demonstrated a wide range of movements. A paw can be used to poke a sleeping member of the family into unwilling consciousness. Or to remind the cat of her presence, by a gentle prod or an accidental thwack of her tail on Ruby's head. Or to engage in a madcap game involving all paws, her body and her mouth with Pip.

Plus, she has mastered ingenious ways to keep herself entertained. A grab of the ball, a giant leap over the couch and then drop the ball over the edge of the couch. Repeat until exhausted or bored. Even better is to use her balance to steer her body across the kitchen floor in pursuit of the current ball. Occasionally, she does become unstuck and ends up sliding in all directions, much to our amusement.

However, I have digressed. I think I hinted at her sculptural skills, which become more sophisticated by the day. I think we should call her style "minimalism".

She is developing new and innovative ways to make her art smaller. With the careful use of her teeth and "hands", she can skin a cheap tennis ball in a matter of minutes. She has reduced my expensive Croc thongs into abstract art pieces, defying anybody to guess their original purpose, and leaving skerricks of her creations all over the floor. She was particularly enthusiastic incorporating plant life into her latest artistic endeavours until we wrapped the majority of our pots up like Stalag 13 to prevent their disassembly. Whilst on a garden theme, she continues making obscure patterns with pine bark mulch all over the floor, which of course is the impetus for unrehearsed modern dance when one steps on a piece of sharpish wood.

Her Piece De Resistance has been a concerted effort to prepare our couches for their debut in a future avant-garde exhibition - yet to be announced. Her dedication to this mammoth task has truly taken our breath away. We believe that she may be close to concluding this exercise as the rate of reduction has abated. We remain eminently grateful that Stella has left enough of the couches for us to actually be seated in relative comfort in front of the telly.