Have you heard of topiary? It’s the horticultural art of sculpting trees and shrubs into defined shapes. Inspired by the technique, 75-year-old British artist Richard Saunders began his series, The Topiary Cat, which involves digitally transforming foliage into felines. His personal cat, Tolly, who sadly went away five years ago, served as inspiration for the ongoing series. However, a fictitious character has given his feline pal a fresh lease of life. The artist describes The Topiary Cat as “a magical creature with superior powers who is more wise than the mere mortals who behold him.”
Richard Saunders said: “Initially I created these images just for fun. I had taken a photograph, in the grounds of a historic house, of a huge cloud topiary, and it occurred to me that I could fairly easily photograph Tolly in a position to match the shape of the bushes.”
Richard has been painting surrealistically since he was a teenager and learned how to use Photoshop more than 20 years ago while working as a creative director for advertising. He says: “The idea of creating The Topiary Cat, over eight years ago, while Tolly was still alive, was easily accomplished with skills I already knew. The images have become more complicated since, many taking days to produce, with tailor-made photos taken especially for them.”
Richard was too devastated to consider continuing The Topiary Cat after Tolly passed away in 2016, but his 40,000 Facebook fans urged him to do so. Richard thinks that when their own furry friends pass away, it helps them.
The Topiary Cat has developed into quite a business. Richard now also produces puzzles, 3D visuals, and a narrative that he reads chapter by chapter on YouTube. The Topiary Cat’s adventures go on as Tolly is now joined by Georgi, another Russian Blue.
When asked, which of his creations is his personal favorite, Richard says it’s usually the latest one. As for general inspiration, Richard says he is influenced by many other artists. Some of his all-time favorites are Dalí followed by Max Ernst, then the Pre-Raphaelites.
The creator acknowledged to Bored Panda that the majority of people he meets adore The Topiary Cat, at first frustrated that the creations aren’t “real,” but rapidly becoming fans of the ongoing narrative. The future of the project depends on the reception to the book “The Topiary Cat” which is being produced in very limited quantities at first as a test of the market.
