I Am Maru 5 Happy Birthday, Maru! The famous Japanese feline turns six today, and as tradition dictates, his owner has put together a compilation of the cutest moments the Scottish Fold has committed to film over the past year to celebrate.
Maru It's not unusual to come across fan art inspired by some of the internet's most famous feline video stars, but I've never seen anything quite like the thought-provoking work of Valeria Montana, who transforms shattered glass into haunting cat portraits.
The Frágil. Fuerte(Fragile. Strong) project began after Valeria was out riding her bike one day, and came across a car accident. She starts off with a wood canvas, and then paints her subject, before painstakingly covering the finished piece with an eerie layer of broken glass, culled from less-than-fortunate circumstances.
When asked to elaborate on the project, Montana tells me: "Cats are my inspiration because they have 7 lives (other people think that they have 9): All are a unique life. This artwork is made of safety glass (from accidents) on wood. This is a very tragic material that I transform into art to show the paradox of something strong also being fragile. I am obsessed with how a free-falling cat can turn itself right-side-up as it falls, no matter which way up it was initially. Cats are the strongest animals that I can think of. They are so free, so independent and so lovely: This "feline spirit" is also part of my inspiration."
Henri, le Chat Noir So far, her subjects have included viral video stars such as Maru, Grumpy Cat, OMG Cat, Keyboard Cat, and Two Talking Cats. She's also tackled feline philosopher, Henri, le Chat Noir, who I'm sure would have something to say about the impermanence of life in relation to a shattered portrait.
Maru, the world famous Scottish Fold, may have been overshadowed by newcomers such as Lil Bub and Grumpy Cat in 2012, but the 5-year-old Japanese icon still proved that it takes a cat to show a kitten how its done. January 1/01 1/30
Having already conquered the whole of the internet, Maru has bigger fish to fry than low-budget cat videos. The online icon, whose has previously appeared in commercials for Fresh Step cat litter, is now purrfecting his hustle in an online promotion for Japanese fashion brand UNIQLO.
To celebrate the opening of their new San Francisco store, the retailer recruited the box-aholic to be the feline face of their interactive Lucky Cube giveaway. Unfortunately, Maru doesn't figure into any of the pawesome prizes, however his proclivity for climbing into square shaped objects makes him the ideal candidate for deciding whether you win UNIQLO clothing, a Blimp Ride, or a Mystery Prize (which in my case, ended up being a free track by singer-songwriter Goapele). Thanks, Maru!
Play Lucky Cube with Maru at uniqlo.com/luckycube, and redeem your prize at the UNIQLO Pop-Up Experience through Sept. 16 and starting Oct. 15 at the Union Square flagship store in SF.
In Maru's latest adventure, the famous Scottish Fold is faced with an obstacle that at first seems insurmountable: a plastic bin with a toy mouse stuck inside. Most cats might throw in the towel and say, "I can't do this, I don't even have opposable thumbs!" But not our Maru.
Instead of giving up and taking a nap moving on to life's next, easier box, he takes his time to survey the situation, before tackling it with open paws. I believe it was a wise feline philosopher who once said, "When life hands you an impenetrable plastic bin, make a cute cat video out of it." He also may have opined that no mouse worth enjoying has been seized without struggle, and that when your moment finally arrives, don't be afraid to dive in and conquer that box, (adorable) head first.
Maru Teaches Us Life Lessons On Perseverance And Success
He's growing up so fast! It's hard to believe that Maru, who has been sharing his life with us since 2007, is turning five years old today! In keeping with tradition, his owner mugumogu put together a video montage highlighting some of his most memorable moments from the last twelve months. It was another box heavy year for the squishy Scottish Fold, whose fame seems to grow in direct proportion to his roundness.
I recently came across the colorful paintings of Katharina Conrad, a talented illustrator who was inspired to turn her favorite pop culture pussycats into colorful works of kitty art.
The idea for the cat project popped into Katharina's head one day after seeing a human interest piece on Frank and Louie, the world's oldest living two-faced cat.
She tells me: "I thought to myself that it would be fun to do a painting of him, and then wouldn't it be fun to do a whole series of paintings of cats from my personal life, T.V, movies, the internet, books etc. (basically any cat that I had some kind of emotional attachment to), and then to make some kind of self-published book of them in the end. And I've been working on it ever since."
In addition to the famous Janus cat, Conrad has also taken on internet superstar Maru, as well as her own two kitties, P.D. and Hailey. But not all of her subjects can be found in real life. Fictional kitties like The Cheshire Cat, Luna from Sailor Moon, and Mogget from the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix are also included as part of the collection.
For more information on Katharina and to see additional images of her work, please check out her website at katharinaconrad.com.
Thanks to a disappointing lack of cats appearing in spring fashion campaigns, the kind, cat loving souls over at Fashionista have once again sprinkled their kitten dust over 12 ads in need of some feline improvement. Not even Naomi Campbell (or David Beckham's package) are safe from their Photoshop enhanced shenanigans.
Bonus: Keep your eyes peeled for cameos from international cat-lebrities, Shironeko and Maru!
Click over to Fashionista to check out the full set!
