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Painted: Sepperl

With the studio being completely bare – well, except for the new buffet and my teeny, tiny desk (it looks like a dollhouse desk in this room!) – it’s been a challenge to stay continually inspired. Right now, all I want to do is bang on walls, pick paint colors, lay down a massive, colorful rug and make a ridiculously enormous desk for myself, but rather than feed the urge to get all the things!, we’re working towards these checklist items with more thoughtful decision making.

So to stay inspired from 9-5, I’ve been focusing even more of my attention towards The Pet Shop (meaning, I’ve been ooh-ing and aah-ing over your fuzzy BFFs all day), and it’s definitely been too long since we’ve featured any of the stars that’ve passed across my painting table.

Not too long ago, I received an order from Julie, who had placed an order as a gift for her mom-in-law, Birgit. After sifting through photos of Birgit’s cat Sepperl, I was thrilled that our discussions led us towards something a little more outside of the box (i.e., my comfort zone), ultimately landing on an almost-full-bleed close up. They chose the 8×8 panel, which really, really allowed me to get into detail.

Sepperl (or “Seppie”) turns out to be quite the world traveler, and I asked Julie and Birgit if they would share what makes him the stud that he is. Here’s what Birgit had to say:

Sepperl is Austrian dialect for “Little Joe” and Sepperl is a true Globe Trotter. He was born in Upper Austria on September 4th 1999 and Claus (my son) picked him out of a litter of 8 when he was just 4 days old.

When Sepperl was 12 weeks old he was smuggled across the border to Switzerland since we didn’t have any official papers for him at that time. Back then he was already a very vocal cat and Hannes, my brother, had a really hard time hiding him from the border patrol officer! In June 2000, Sepperl took the big trip to America with us and has since lived in Schaumburg, IL, Bartlett, IL and Los Angeles.

Many cats are really tied to their location but Sepperl is more of a people cat; he is fine as long as his people are around no matter where that is. When he comes home – and sometimes that is at 2 or 3 in the morning – he lets us know in no uncertain terms that he is back. He starts meowing the second he comes in through the basement door and doesn’t stop until he’s up on the second floor in our bedroom!

He also knows that “talking” gets him treats or even dog food – when I feed the dogs, he jumps up on the kitchen counter and starts meowing and always gets exactly what he wants – I think he trained me very well over the almost 14 years we’ve now lived together.

I think Sepperl is also the most patient and laid back cat I’ve ever seen. No matter what new family members we bring home – kittens or puppies, birds, fish, or even humans – nothing makes him sway much from his daily routine: eat, rest, go hunt, rest, eat and demand lots of love. And last but not least, I still think he is the most handsome serial killer out there – just look at those eyes!

Thank you to Birgit, Julie and family for sharing Sepperl with us!

Seppie was painted on an 8×8 panel. For more information on custom work of your own, check us out at The Pet Shop, a tiny division of this Yellow Brick Home.

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  • Birgit8.21.13 - 8:52 AM

    Kim

    you did such an amazing job capturing Sepperl. He is now “hanging” in my hallway and no matter where I go it always seems like his eyes are following me. Amazing, Thank you!

    BirgitReplyCancel

  • Kim8.21.13 - 9:17 AM

    Birgit, you’re so welcome!ReplyCancel

  • Laura at Rather Square8.21.13 - 10:24 AM

    Beautiful painting!ReplyCancel

  • Mrs. Limestone8.21.13 - 12:47 PM

    Love it. That is seriously haunting :)ReplyCancel

  • Ashley8.21.13 - 4:22 PM

    Love the painting! Had to come over to question the part about letting the cat roam free. It might seem like a good idea but… we have cats that roam in our neighborhood and they cause all the dogs to bark like crazy, waking up my kids and baby, and generally causing a nuisance in the neighborhood. It might seem like the perfect situation for your cat who returns home, but it can cause a disturbance to others. Sorry, I know this is random but it drives our entire neighborhood crazy. haha.ReplyCancel

  • Kim8.21.13 - 5:21 PM

    Thanks, guys!

    Ashley, oh no! Good tip. We’ve always had indoor cats, so we can’t speak from experience. Perhaps your neighborhood cats are too good lookin’ for their own good? ;)ReplyCancel

  • Julie8.22.13 - 11:39 AM

    So so great Kim! I can’t wait to get the 4X4 of my animals- I love the charm of the smaller paintings.

    Not to stir anything but….. by nature, cats are wild animals. To discourage an owner from letting a cat outside because it will make a dog bark thus in turn wake your child up? It’s a little unfair. Would she prefer them be on a chain and be walked like dogs are outside? Dogs cause just as much fury when on a walk with their owners… thus creating other dogs to bark and in turn waking up children. Just saying. ;) ps – I love both animals equally! heheReplyCancel

  • Julia @cuckoo4design8.26.13 - 10:02 AM

    Love cute Sepperl, his story and the artwork. I’m still in Germany (leaving tomorrow) and my friends own a restaurant called “zum Sepperl” where you drink “Schlappe Seppel” beer (just a silly FYI). Love old Bavarian and German names.

    http://www.schlappeseppel.de/en/brewery/history.phpReplyCancel

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We’re Kim + Scott, Chicago based content creators behind the Home + Lifestyle brand Yellow Brick Home.

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