Artwork Description:

Title: Turkish Van Cat

This is an original watercolour of my cat – Loks the Turkish Van cat. He’s beautiful – and doesn’t he just know it! Here he is, having a little warm up in a patch of sunlight.

There are many stories about these cats. One is that they travelled in Noah’s ark, and, as the water receeded, they departed with a blessing from Allah/God that left a mark on their heads. The other concerns the ‘thumb print of Allah’ which is the mark often found between the shoulder blades. Turkish Vans are often considered lucky. They are said to come from the city (and lake area) of Van where they are still found today.

I can confirm that they are luxuriously soft, lively (and somewhat clumsy!) and love playing games. I personally believe that my cat is very lucky – but, obviously that’s for you to decide!

Artist Bio:

Sarah Wheeler lives in the Norfolk countryside. Most of her art is inspired by the animals, birds and plants in this area, combined with an interest in folklore.