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A Collage of Cat Houses and Love

A Journey of Self Discovery Through Covering Cardboard

By Andrilisa Read-Iglesias LopesPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 21 min read
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This all started when my husband and I discovered my cat’s box fetish.

Last Halloween, we noticed that Imo, my youngest cat, had a thing for boxes all thanks to an empty cake box that accidentally fell on the floor. I recall hearing the box fall and before I could even get up to see where it was, Imo had already beat me to it and was stepping inside. I took a quick picture with my phone because I thought it was funny and went back to looking up ideas on how to transform my apartment into the mummy’s tomb. Hours went by and when I looked, Imo was still in the box.

The next morning, I walk out of the bedroom and there is Imo sleeping in the box. A couple of times I even saw him rubbing his face along the outer edges. At first, I thought it was probably because it was a new object for him. But after several days of Imo spending most of his time there, it became clear he had moved out of the left corner of the bed and into this box. Seeing how much he loved the box meant that it would have to be a permanent add-on to the living room floor.

When the holidays rolled around, we opted to order most of our gifts online. I have a big family, so that means a lot of gifts, which means a lot boxes. Every single time a new box arrived, Imo went into a happy frenzy. The minute my husband walked through the door with a package, Imo would run up to him, meowing and wagging his little white tail. There were times where he even stood up on his hind legs trying to touch the box. My heart translated this into “Wow! Another box for me! Yippie-ka-yay Humans!”

I started to feel bad for every time I threw a box out, seeing as they were the source of so much joy for Imo. I started to keep the boxes for more than just one day at a time. The only problem was that carboard didn’t exactly go with the 70’s luxury eleganza vibe I had going with my current decor. I am an artist by trade, so immediately my first thought was to decorate the boxes. However I didn’t want to use the fancy expensive acrylic paints that I had just bought. Coincidentally, I had scavenged about 25 magazines on a midnight drive in Manhattan so I figured a collage would be a great solution to covering the cardboard and being extremely cheap with materials. The plan was to start with one box and see what would happen. Little did I know, along with starting the cat house collages, I was also embarking on a journey of self-discovery which would lead me to the secret to true happiness.

The White House

I named the first house the ‘White House’ because most of the magazines I had scored were bridal magazines, so I knew I’d be using mainly white wedding dresses for my design. I chose to go with newest box out of the bunch I had, which was 11 x 11 x13.5 inches. I set up my kitchen island as my workstation and assembled my tools from all different art departments. Modge Podge paired with a brush and scotch tape were my adhesive of choice. I recall the last collage project I did in 2016 and how difficult it was for me to glue small little pieces using a glue stick. I didn’t want to get my hands dirty if I didn’t have to. I chose a fine precision knife for all my small cuts and holes. If I felt inclined to cut out a couple of flowers from a bouquet I wanted to be able to do so.

And finally, the most important piece, a pair of metal scissors, reminiscent of the kind my mother used when I was a child and she was a seamstress. The really old- school kind with the handle and the blade being one forged piece, all held together by a single bolt. The handle was usually painted black. Mine was faded, just as my mother’s had been. I still remember the heavy weight of the scissors in my small hands. I used to love the way it cut magazines even though my mom forbade me from using them because they were her special scissors for cutting fabric. Using these scissors for this cat house collage project felt like I was letting my 5-year-old self finally be free to do what I wanted to do. That and these scissors just give a really awesome clean stride as it glides through paper.

I didn’t really have a set design plan and although the box I chose wasn’t that big, the idea of cutting small pieces of paper to cover the entire thing seemed very daunting to me. I had no idea where to begin. So I covered the entire thing in leftover black marble wallpaper out of fear. Doing this gave me great comfort, but it also raised the bigger question of “what was so scary about covering the box in cut paper from the magazine?” It was still just paper at the end of the day. But after looking deeper, it wasn’t about the paper or the tedious act of cutting a lot of pieces. It was the fear that I would create an idea in my mind and that I would not find the pieces necessary to execute the original idea.

That is what happened to me every time I worked on a collage while I still roamed the classrooms of LaGuardia High School. I would get really excited about a scene that I wanted to create and then I wouldn’t end up finding all the components that I wanted, resulting in disappointment every time. Even after fifteen years, those same feelings of frustration were sitting next to me just like they did when I was in class. Here they were still trying to dictate my ability to make creative design choices. Except this time, this wasn’t the classroom- this was my art palace and I could do whatever I wanted to do. When in doubt, find a theme and let that be the guide.

I decided to thoroughly scope through a bridal magazine and mark down all the dresses with interesting patterns. At first, I danced with the idea of framing the box in columns, composed of upside down mermaid style gowns, but when I taped a few of them to the box as a sample, they all looked like curtains instead because most of them had lace texture. I came across a couple of dresses with smooth texture and several layers of ruffles that gave the illusion of being spilled paint. Seeing as how I had been working on several acrylic pour projects around this time, I decided I would try to create the effect of white paint being spilled on top of the house, dripping over the edges. Hello theme.

Now that I had a blueprint to follow, it completely shifted my energy around the project. I finally had a light guiding me in the darkness of my creative mind. One thing that made a significant difference was having several copies of the same magazine. It was easy to replicate a pattern planning the design went much more smoothly, knowing that I had multiples of the same image. I knew in advance exactly how much I had of each element.

I found some interesting black paneled doors that looked like roof shingles, so I glued all those to the top of my box. I knew that I wanted to keep most of the house black to really give that contrast to the “white paint” being poured on. I realized after I had glued all my door shingles that I didn’t have any other black designs that I could use to camouflage the wallpaper on the sides. This was what I had been fearing all along. Not having enough of what I think I need. I pushed through and as I started to lay out some of the white dresses, I realized it looked better against the black marble than it did against my fake shingles. Unknowingly, I recreated a scenario for myself where I relived my fear and frustration from before, blinding me to the fact that I control the design every time and I can change it according to whatever resources I have available to me. I decided not to recover the shingles as a lesson learned to make sure to plan better in the future before going all glue happy.

With all the white dresses laid out with tape on the box, I took a photograph to use as a reference. The dresses needed to be glued in a specific order to provide the right effect. And so began the delicate art of swabbing the paper with just enough glue where it spreads out when the paper is flattened but it doesn’t come out from underneath the edge. I had forgotten how therapeutic art could be. To just allow yourself to get lost in a moment, where your mind is just floating calmly watching as your hands become the star of the show.

After all the dresses were glued down, the only thing left to do was cover the trim of the front which still revealed this box once brought home the cat food. I decided to go with some dark brown wood paneling I found in an ad for kitchen cabinets. The black marbling, the dark oak wood and the cascade of wedding dress ruffle “paint”, they were music to my eyes. There was a fashionable element to the house, and yet something very playful, much like Imo’s personality. The ‘White House’ was officially presented to Imo in March 2021. At first, I was concerned he would react differently to the box since I had glued a bunch of stuff on it. The box wasn’t on the floor three minutes before he got inside. His look was one of comfort and pure bliss.

Casa De Gold

Once I finished the first cat house collage, I was actually surprised at how I couldn’t wait to get started on the next one. The inspiration came as I was listening to beautiful Spanish Flamenco music. It was also about to be April- my birthday, my husband’s birthday, my other cat Suna’s birthday and Imo’s three-year adoption anniversary. As a household, we had been experiencing so much abundance around this time that it truly felt like we had entered the Golden Era. Thus the theme of the house became gold, ‘Casa de Gold’.

This new box, House of Gold, needed to exude luxury. Where would an aristocrat live? There was a big box here measuring 22 x 18 x 13.5 inches that was just staring at me saying “I can be the grandiose you need”. This would be no easy feat. Looking at the box initially felt like looking into the eyes of a raging bull- I felt the fear ready to charge at me. But there was nothing to be afraid of. Who said the entire box needed to be covered? I knew that I just needed to embrace the cardboard. I looked at the brown box and thought of my caramel skin and my recent fascination with how radiant gold jewelry made me look. So too, I would adorn this box’s skin with the patterns of gold that were waiting to be discovered.

When I used to collage in high school, I would cut out one thing I needed, glue it down, look for another thing, cut it, glue it down and repeat, building the design one piece at a time, with a very strict picture in mind as a guide. I was not allowing myself to be led by what was found. I also was not evaluating my resources to know what was available so that I could change the design accordingly. Imagine yourself setting your sights on building the Empire State building and then realizing all you have is sand. A decade and three careers have taught me is that organization is the one of the secrets to happiness. Why? Because when you know where things are, you always know what you have at your disposal and you don’t waste any time guessing. Plus I didn’t want another sad door shingles façade situation. I approached this cat house collage as I would any of my previous corporate job projects- with color coded sticky notes.

I decided to structurally change the box by flipping up two of the tabs and taping them to create the kind of roof seen on a house. I decided to leave the top exposed because I know Imo likes to look up while he’s inside the house. I cut out squares on the sides to make windows as well as a hole in the front to make a door opening, folding the cardboard forward to create a doormat. Even though Imo was the one that loved boxes, I knew this big box would be attractive to Suna because it had many areas to peer through. She was the huntress and I knew this house could open up the door to a new game for my furry friends.

With the frame of the box taped solid, then began the odyssey of going through all the magazine sets. I cut out the pages with an interesting gold pattern on it and wrote down the magazine name and page number on a note, with colorful stickies indicating which areas were for what part of the house. When I went through everything, I looked to see which patterns I had the most of and chose those to build my design. I cut everything the way it was supposed to be cut out and taped it on the box. I spent a whole week playing Tetris with some of the different patterns. There were so many possibilities, and I was having so much fun just exploring them.

Trying to provide luxury while allowing the original carboard to shine through without it looking homeless was challenging at first. Initially I kept thinking of the box as something mediocre and the patterns on the clippings as fancy and because logically those two didn’t go together it was blocking my ability to come up with an effective design. But I sat back and decided to do what I usually do with my paintings. I squinted my eyes and let the light haze to wash over them, allowing me to blur the details and just focus on the colors, seeing them as pure as possible. Once I did this my perspective instantly changed. This was no longer a box. This was an Egyptian temple built off the natural rock cliff decorated in hieroglyphics. After that, the rest was easy.

I was at the halfway point when I began experimenting with the idea of “photoshopping”. The truth is that collage is the original photoshop minus the computer. I had some clippings of gold statues that I really wanted to incorporate into the house, but I didn’t want them sitting on top of the roof looking like gargoyles. I found some windows with a unique wallpaper background for the exterior paneling. I cut out the windows and layered that paper on top of my golden statue clipping to create the effect that the statue was inside the window. Here I was “photoshopping” in the most archaic way; paying homage to my mother using my metal scissors and learning to be more compassionate towards the 14-year-old self who struggled so much creatively. It’s not that you were not creative child, you just didn’t know how to organize yourself in a way that could give you the best chance at being successful.

Once the golden statues were inside it really did start to feel like ‘Casa de Gold’. I wanted the finishing touch to be a golden cat emblem on the top of the house, because this was after all a cat house. Using gold make-up case clippings with some white flowers, I made an image that resembled a metallic cat mixed with popcorn- what a bizarre and fun combination!

Seeing the house completed allowed me to make peace with the part of me that dropped out of the architecture major in college. It was the only art subject that I didn’t seem to connect with even though it had the deepest roots, as my father always dreamed of becoming an architect. I didn’t realize I had carried that scar of failure with me until I saw this cat house completed. It felt like I had finally made peace with myself. I finally made an architectural structure I was proud of. I was so overjoyed that I began to wonder, was I really making these houses for the cats or was I making them for me? ‘Casa de Gold’ opened it’s doors to both Suna and Imo in April of 2021. And just as I predicted, in the still of the night ‘Casa de Gold’ is used as a fortress as the two cats chase each other like stallions.

The Rainbow House

Making ‘Casa de Gold’ left me with a sense of wonder and adventure. I felt freedom and excitement for what I was about to uncover during the next project. I wanted to push my own boundaries and allow myself to plan and be guided by inspiration at the same time. I knew Pride was right around the corner and I wanted that to be the driving theme of this house. I had many connections and familial bonds in the queer community, and I wanted this house to celebrate those relationships. I decided to call it the ‘Rainbow House’.

I gazed out into my balcony view thirteen stories high, off the Far Rockaway beach coast. Lately I had been feeling like a princess in my tower, a gatekeeper in a fantasy forest, only letting down my hair for the fun, wise, and worthy opportunities. I decided to run with that as the main design concept. This time I wanted to put my “photoshopping” collage skills to the test. How can I create a marriage of images and welcome the illusion to another place? This was the time to apply everything I knew regarding composition, colors, and the window into the surreal.

I began the ‘Rainbow House’ by changing the architectural structure of a 19 x 13.5 x 13.5. inch box to make it feel more like a cottage. I flipped down one of the flaps to give it a tilted roof. A toilet paper roll holder had somehow escaped the recycling bag so I decided to incorporate that as a chimney, giving it a move cozy feel. I cut out some holes on the side of the box as well as on top to serve as a sunroof. As I was looking through the magazines I wondered, how can I convey all the fun and loving memories of vacations and laughs with rainbow peeps into this house? How can I make this a physical manifestation of love?

Rather than just be at the mercy of patterns found in clippings, I decided that if I wanted a particular color, I would cut out shapes in that color and layer them. Even though this proved to be more tedious, it opened the range of colors by a lot. Because it was so much work, my husband decided to take a break from his gaming in the evenings and help me cut the pieces I needed. It became our routine for several days. Some of the conversations that sparked between us while we were cutting those oblong shaped pieces of paper were incredible. We both went back in time into our pasts and shared the origin stories of our passion for roller blading, art, dancing and even video games. Here I was falling in love with this man all over again. I felt like I had a new appreciation for my husband, especially seeing how much he was always willing to lend a hand, no matter the task.

I liked the idea of adding windows into a mystical place. This felt like a chance at redeeming myself and being at peace with not pursuing digital art. For years I kicked myself in the rear for never taking the time to study graphic design, believing that if I had, it would’ve accelerated my art career and I’d be a way better artist. But the truth is, that to be a better artist all you have to do is continue learning and making art, any art. I spent so much time in my 20’s worrying about what I didn’t study in college, that I completely forgot to see that there are opportunities to continue to learn and evolve all around us all the time. Not just inside the confines of a classroom. Doing these cat house collages opened a doorway to heal all these parts of me that were secretly still stabbing away at my confidence while I slept at night. How do you get rid of pain that you don’t know you have? By allowing yourself to heal through your gift.

Even though I started every cat house collage thinking of Imo, Suna was the one who was curious about the ‘Rainbow House’. Part of me believed she was feeling my fantasy-princess cottage tower vibes, because she even decided to sleep there one night before I began gluing anything. It took a lot longer to cut everything out, but the actual gluing was the fastest on this house than any of the others. I didn’t even tape up the patterns to see the design, I could already see it in my mind every time I looked at the box. This house felt more like a piece of artwork to me. Somehow the channels in my mind that held all my art knowledge were open to this new realm I had rediscovered called collage. In that moment I felt the same love this box as I had for the acrylic masterpieces I have hanging on my wall.

Pastels formed the base to a garden of flowers on the roof and on the floors of the eastern and western walls. Two magical windows with princesses showing off their pride with a facade of rainbows. In the back a display of rainbow print with a splash of blue to bring the focus to the middle. A window looking into the popcorn, in honor of the ‘Casa de Oro’ emblem, finishing off with the scene with the pride king, wearing a hair of flowers, and the pride queen rising from a tall building in full rainbow portraits. When I finally glued that last piece, the satisfaction was real. This went beyond just finishing a simple home craft. I felt different. Like I had evolved. In video games, characters tend to increase levels as they advance in the story of the game. I could almost see the words in front of me saying ‘New Level Achieved’. The ‘Rainbow House’ was inaugurated by Suna and Imo the first week of June 2021.

Somehow working on these cat house collages allowed me to empty the pipes holding deep rooted emotional guilt, stemmed from years of telling myself I had done something wrong. I was the one who was playing the recording and I finally found the power to turn it off. No more tale of woe. I finally felt peace. Real peace. And a deep sense of happiness. For myself. For my gift of art. For my husband. For my cats. And for these new creations I made.

When I started the ‘White House’, I saw how fear and doubt crept in with behavior patterns created during my teenage years. It was my fear that led me to cover that first box entirely in wallpaper. I was so focused on covering the box that I didn’t give myself the chance to really play and have fun, looking through the array of cool designs. ‘Casa De Gold’ made me see how powerful I could be. There is no need to fear the fire when you are the one making the flames. My confidence grew as a result of finishing that second house. I trust myself as an artist and feel empowered when I make design choices. That alone made it easier to remain consistently happy. Making that ‘Rainbow House’ felt like and incredible party. Thinking of all the great memories I shared with my loved ones, invoking that feeling into my craft, allowing love to really be the guide throughout the whole process- that is the true key. I have never felt so alive and in love with the creation process as I did in those moments where I was being fueled by the memories of love. That is what it really means to be happy. To live a life in love. To be marveled by your own expression of love via your gift. That is the kind of happiness that you can create for yourself, anywhere, anytime. True happiness.

In closing, know that no matter where you are, happiness is always at your disposal. You just have to use your gift. It will heal you and it will guide you.

And just as I predicted, the new tenant of ‘Rainbow House’, my beloved Suna. Guess it really is a princess palace after all.

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About the Creator

Andrilisa Read-Iglesias Lopes

Just an artist painting dreams with words...

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