"Angora Cat" by Norbertine von Bresslern-Roth

She is perched on a grey wave of fabric. Her feather duster tail follows the arch of a bulging pillow. Tufts of fur the color of vanilla ice cream lazily lean in this and that direction, resembling overgrown grass. Her pale form stands out from the dark corner like bio-luminescent sea urchin.

Something has caught her attention. The eyes of the predator are sharp, focused. Do not let this luxurious coat fool or distract you. She is more than fluff.

"Prisonier" by Norbertine von Bresslern Roth

Why were you just standing there, silent, for so long? I knew you were there, loitering beside the trashcan. I've longed to knock over that trashcan, examine its contents, day after wretched day. Handle a half-eaten pretzel, sniff a soggy, empty soda cup, just for a change of pace. Just for the sake of something new. It's not that anything inside this cage is bad. But, oh, the tedium!

I noticed you there, but I dared not stare back at you. I know what annoyance it is to be stared at, and didn't want to frighten you away. You stood so long, I thought you might be aiming at something. Perhaps, after all the gawkers had gone, you might do something interesting. But you just hung around for such an achingly long space of time, and then slipped away, passing into the crowd, nameless, like all the rest.

Day after day these faces, these figures, bleed into each other and become like wallpaper in the most abhorrent of rooms. Curse this insane asylum. I no longer know my own voice, or preferences, or temperament, for all that is unique is lost in this sea of identically miserable days.

"Zwei Tiger" by Norbertine von Bresslern-Roth

This is a friggin' woodcut?

But there, looking beyond the churning, thrusting movement of the composition and exquisite details, notice the layers of flat color? And those oh-so-solid lines?

Yes, this is a friggin' woodcut.

I find tigers mesmerizing. Those stripes! They contain a multitude of additional creatures in-of-themselves. Black, sleek, mysterious, creatures. Wriggling, flexing, and stretching creatures. Creatures with thick fur, sharp teeth, claws. Creatures that breath deep - their bodies expanding with air and thinning to a wire with exhalation - then crouch down, and pounce! While the tiger, like its lion cousin is an impressive large cat, its stripes have a life of their own.