New TET Painting: Mocha and Mascarpone (Siamese and Siberian Cats)

New TET Painting: Mocha and Mascarpone (Siamese and Siberian Cats) - Fun, Whimsical Cats, Prints Available

Mocha and Mascarpone Painting shown hanging in a home setting.

Mocha and Mascarpone by TET 2026
Original Acrylic Painting on Canvas (40 x 50cm).
Prints Available here. (RedBubble Store)

Mocha and Mascarpone are so named because naming them 'Coffee and Cream' seemed a little on the nose, no matter how nice that sounds. The theme is friendship between two, somewhat exotic cats, Mocha, clearly Siamese, while Mascarpone says she is Siberian. Are they an item? I guess it’s all in the interpretation of the look these two are exchanging in the warm, evening light, the eyes, the negative space… that sharp blue glance from Mocha versus Mascarpone’s half-closed, content grin

In these new cat paintings I’m attempting to create more story and interaction between my cats within each new painting. This artwork being inspired by two of my earlier cat paintings, Shakira, and Rose’s Tale. Initially it was going to be those two cats but my recent cats are more stylised, making these two feel like completely new characters.

The warm pink-orange background is almost directly lifted from my painting of Shakira because the soft warmth of pink and orange suggest the glow of sunset without actually placing the cats in any specific location. They could be sitting on a wall with a view of the beach, or they could be sitting in a cosy living room catching the last rays of the sun through an open French door. Either way the intention is to make you grin, maybe raise an eyebrow, and imagine the backstory.

WIP shots of the artwork and the finished piece.

Work in Progress photos of Mocha and Mascarpone. Note that the
pencil sketch image is a composite image of my sketchbook image
and the actual canvas to check the composition on the canvas.
I don't actually do a pencil sketch on the canvas. I draw the
initial image in red paint.

I’ll admit I’ve been thinking a lot about motivation lately. Pieces like this remind me why I started painting in the first place: the joy of a small, clear idea and the pleasure of getting it onto canvas. Also, cats. Always cats.

If you’re someone who wants a light touch in your space, a little humor, a bit of companionship that doesn’t demand much except to be looked at, Mocha and Mascarpone will probably do the trick. They don’t preach. They don’t perform. They just exist in their odd, domestic harmony, which is, in its own way, a kind of peace.

Prints are available through my RedBubble store. I recommend purchasing a canvas print at a size larger than the original artwork for maximum serenity.

I feel this piece is likely to become iconic, if only in my own mind. It was a real joy to paint, and is an artwork that I hope speaks to you as much as it does me (if you know anything about cats, both Siamese and Siberians tend to talk a lot so this painting really does have something to say!).

Learn even more about this work in my four part, video diary series documenting it's creation. Links below:

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