The Painted Cats of Kokopelli Gallery in Saint Helena

Three painted cats of Kokopelli Gallery

Before the painted cats of Kokopelli Gallery, this Sacramento Realtor has collected many different types of cat figurines over the years. They come from all walks of life. From friends as gifts, art galleries, antique stores, tourist shops and even the goofy Franklin Mint. I began collecting cats in the 1970s when I lived in Newport Beach in southern California. My biggest fear back then was an earthquake would shatter my display case and take all of my cats with it. I didn’t think of myself as a cat collector then, just a person who had a few knickknacks.

People collect all sorts of things. I see these collections in their homes as a top Sacramento listing agent. Some people enjoy dolls and dollhouses, others prefer life-size action figures from Star Wars lined up against the wall, and some pick very particular things like miniature hurricane lamps. My sister collected frogs for a while. My husband collects books, magazines and CDs. Everybody has their thing. I would like to collect art, large sculptures and oil paintings, but I can’t justify spending thousands and thousands for that kind of whim, which is probably a good thing or we’d never travel. The painted cats of Kokopelli are more affordable.

I first noticed the painted cats of Kokopelli while walking by the shop on Main Street in Saint Helena on the 4th of July. The shop was closed. My husband seemed relieved, and when I stopped to look in the window, he was already standing next to my car, waiting. But I had just spotted the tan painted cat with all the spots. I put the name of the shop into my cellphone. Sure enough, they have a website.

At first I thought the cat was a fimo clay. I described the cat and ordered it from Kokopelli. But when it arrived, I was horrified to discover it was not the cat in the window. OK, there are worse things in life to be horrified about, like the slaying of police officers in Dallas, the killing of an innocent African-American motorist in Minnesota, and whether Donald Trump will become president and force us to move to Mexico, but I set all of those nightmares aside for a moment when I opened the box. My initial reaction was the cat was ugly. It was not like any of the painted cats of Kokopelli.

I quickly rectified the situation with a call to Stephen at the Kokopelli Gallery. He located the painted cat I desired. But I made the mistake of inquiring about the specific number of painted cats of Kokopelli. Stephen emailed me photos. I examined the fimo clay cat more closely. Actually, the fimo clay cat was beautiful. Intricate detail, gorgeous color, and now suddenly I did not want to bid adieu. No, kitty, this is my pot pie! I had touched, admired, and became hooked.

In addition to the tan painted cat with the bright colors, I also selected the cats I nicknamed elevator butt and Wild Man of Borneo cat. Above is a photo sent by Stephen. If you like cat figurines, there are more painted cats of Kokopelli Gallery available. They come from all different Mexican artists and are signed. Go to kokopellinapa.com. Just don’t ask me why they have two cards from the Saint Helena police department taped below the ledge of their work area. You can see it in the photo above.

I feel like I should make a confession before a group of other addicts. Yes, my name is Elizabeth Weintraub, and I collect small cat figurines.