Catnip for Collectors

One of Santa Barbara’s most affable artists has gotten a little catty lately. Brad Nack — who has famously painted more reindeer than is seemingly humanly possible — has turned his brush toward the feline persuasion in a new exhibition called The Cat Room and Other Decorative Splendours, on view at Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop Friday, September 5, to Tuesday, September 9.

With more than 50 cat-themed paintings ready to adopt, as well as an array of paintings Nack calls “decorative works” — about 50 additional paintings of all sorts of shapes, sizes, and subject matters, this might just be the most comprehensive exhibition of Nack’s work to date. 

Why this new feline fascination? “I’ve been doing cats for a long time,” said Nack. “Sort of how I do the reindeer show. Cats are really expressive, and something that cats and reindeer have in common, well that they kind of complement each other, is that cats have whiskers and reindeers have antlers. I think those are really expressive.”

As for the painting process itself, which involves layers upon layers over a long period of time until he feels they’re just right, Nack said, “I also like seeing the different moods of these creatures, because I think it kind of reflects how I’m feeling and how the world’s going.”

But contrary to what you might think — happy world = happy cat — Nack says, “they’re kind of a little bit of a peaceful place for me to paint when things are not going great in the world or my life; I tend to paint happier creatures. And then, when things are going good, and I’m feeling good about things, the paintings kind of tend to get more morose.”

He laughs, “So this is a ‘Happy Show’ — that’s kind of dark, huh?”

And does that also apply to his other creatures? “Yes,” he laughs. “When we were about to invade Iraq … that was a very happy reindeer season.”

Nack’s fascination with painting creatures has a long history. “I’ve painted a bunch of different animals. There’s this cat that I painted in 2014 that’s going to be in the show, and I actually have that hanging in our house. And I don’t have a lot of my art that hangs in our house. But every time I walk past that painting … I think there’s nothing I would change. … It still works for me, and it worked for me when I finished it.”

He continues, “I’ve done a bunch of dog paintings, and I’ve painted mice. I’ve painted raccoons, rhinoceroses. At one point I was thinking of illustrating a kid’s book and doing, like A through Z of animals. But I haven’t gotten to that yet, although I do have probably, as far as an alphabet, I probably have 15 animals.”

And as for the notion of “decorative splendours,” Nack says he likes the idea that “decorative art is just art that you buy because you like it; you want to have it in your life. And so that’s why I called this The Cat Room and Other Decorative Splendours, because I wanted to create a couple of new pieces and then show some older pieces that I like. I think this is where I’ve always been, creating pieces that people can like and enjoy, and they can see whatever they want to in them. They’re part of the process.”

The opening reception for Brad Nack’s The Cat Room and Other Decorative Splendours is Friday, September 5, 6-10 p.m., at CAW (631 Garden St.). It’s free and open to all ages, and will feature a live deejay set by DJ Espinaca (a k a Spencer Barnitz), adding to the fun atmosphere. The exhibit will also be on view September 6-9 from noon to 6 p.m. daily. See bradnack.com.