Jennifer Quinones

Jennifer Quinones – who also calls herself The Cat Queen – creates juicy colored pencil drawings reimagine iconic eras in history and pop culture with cats as their protagonists. Imagine Marie Antoinette as a cat, replacing her towering cake platter with a tuna tin. Or Joan of Arc with perky ears popping out of her metallic armor, paw on her heart as she prepares for battle. Wink-wink moments hide in every nook and cranny – mice in executioner's robes rolling out the guillotine. Jenn’s work combines the ecstatic energy of superfandom with dark humor and cheeky irreverence, creating an alternate history of the world with less war and more whiskers. “I do kind of consider myself dark and I am a crazy cat lady,” Jenn said.

In addition to the cat kingdom, Jenn is inspired by Frida Kahlo and Halloween World – a dark fantasyland she visits while dreaming. Like Frida, Jenn sees art as her destiny; she wants to forge a creative legacy and sees the creative imagination as a means to healing and self-determination. Jenn is frequently visited by the spirit of Frida as well as characters from Halloween World including her demon fathers, muscular and loving protectors who provide abundant love, encouragement, courage, and creative inspiration.

For her first ever solo show, Feline Period, the culmination of her four month residency, Jenn divided Summertime in half, paying homage to her two favorite eras in art history: Ancient Egypt and Medieval Europe. Cats are the connective tissue between the golden temple on one side and the pewter fortress on the other. Pharaohs and knights, princesses and priests, wizards and goddesses, all are transformed into furry friends with glistening noses and tickly whiskers. Jenn painted the walls with hieroglyphics and coats of armor. As part of her residency, Jenn participated in a one-on-one stained glass workshop with Soft Shapes, as well as two Touch Tours at The Met, where she got up close and personal with her all-time favorite artworks. Jenn also led a Divine Pet Portrait workshop at The Cloisters in conjunction with her show.