I wanted to make art for animals. In order to make art for animals, I needed to know what kind of art animals would like. In order to know what kind of art animals would like, I needed to understand what it’s like to be an animal–what it’s like to see and hear and think and feel and behave like an animal. Thus, a series called Sketches for Art for Animals.
Most of the other work in this series is still considered to be a sketch–a preparation for the real art for animals. The Odor Field Paintings, however, are actually art for animals.
Since animals’ senses are often able to pick up stimuli outside the normal human sensory range, I thought I should practice making paintings whose primary impact would be outside the normal human focus on sight. I made a series of thirty-five paintings using solutions derived from various odoriferous cat products such as catnip, cat milk, and cat grass seeds. To ensure an interesting composition of smells, each painting’s layout is based on a seminal work of abstract or color field painting.
Make Your Own Odor Field Paintings
I also set up a situation where other people could make their own Odor Field paintings for their pets to enjoy, using odor-infused liquids instead of paint just as I did. In this case, cat, dog, fish, and bird treats were dissolved into each liquid, giving them a powerful aroma.
Chris Wildrick 