Puma Kitten, circa 1985

Renowned self-taught artist William Hawkins is known for his graphic, large-scale images depicting animals, architecture, religious scenes and historic events. Baby Puma, like many of his animal-centric works, was likely inspired by a print source. In addition to arresting color palettes and rich, pooled paint surfaces, Hawkins's best works can incorporate unconventional artmaking materials, seen here with the inclusion of cornmeal under the top layer of enamel. This built-up, grainy texture provides mass to the animal and evokes the cat’s fur.