-
They had said at the casting that Jessie had a twinkle in her eye. It was determination, and nerves and a little bit of in-built piggy cheekiness. But it got her the role that started a whole a career. -
Rupert was a technical kind of a rooster. His mind worked in lists and inventories. But when the chicks were small, he dreamed up magnificent adventure stories for them, with foxes and bears, and owls that went "whoo". -
Eric knew he wasn't a goose, on account of not being able to fly, but truth be told, he was not entirely sure what he was. The two-legged hairless creatures who fed him didn't seem much like him either. So when the other goat arrived, it wasn't just that he finally had a friend - he finally understood himself too. -
They were an acquired taste, Jennifer decided. But she was nothing if not persistent, and by the end of the harvest, once she had mown the low-hanging olives from their branches, Jennifer could honestly say she rather liked them. -
Sydney was, by nature, an incredibly curious guinea fowl. In school, he was the butt of many jokes. But Sydney was an unflappable sort, and he carried on asking questions until one day, he discovered a hidden route to the goose pen, and a source of food for the whole flock. -
If he'd been a different squirrel, Stewart could've been rich. But instead of using his considerable investment talents for his own gain, he chose to share his stash with the needy. And as he grew older he watched this other investment grow into a community of squirrels who had learnt from him how to take care of each other. -
Bill worked afternoons at the park. His job, as he saw it, was just to be available. The humans would come to him. He would offer them an ear to scratch, or a belly to tickle. And he would watch them relax visibly, and breathe a little slower. Such was the power of his floof. -
Perhaps if his name had been Joe or Steve, her child would have grown up to be an average rhino. But Zoe had named him Sebastian (pronounced "unnngff" in Rhino) after a great uncle who was a great rhino leader. And even as a calf, Sebastian was wise beyond his years. One day, he would be the kind of leader who inspired the whole kingdom. -
Daniella struggled to put her feelings about motherhood into words. On the one paw, she was exhausted, pandas, even her friends, treated her differently, and she had barely time to feed herself. But when she looked at Harry, she was seized by an overwhelming feeling of love. He was the most perfect panda she had ever seen. -
Stephanie's best friend at the park was a blind Labrador named Charlie. Normally, she moved extremely slowly because of her mortal fear of perspiring, but when she saw Charlie, she would launch herself across the grass to greet him. -
It was Maxine's proudest moment. She tried hard not to show it, but inside she was glowing. -
He hadn't been eavesdropping, exactly. With his ears, it was hard not to overhear the conversation. But it came as a surprise to Bertie to learn that the other small carnivores rather liked him, actually. Perhaps he'd finally work up the courage to talk to Stella that night. -
As a cub, Timothy was painfully shy. But little by little, he forced himself to be brave. And each time things didn't go too badly wrong, he stored up the bravery to use again. One day, he met another shy panda. Together, they would become the bravest pandas in southwest China. -
The cliff-top property was a little out of their price range, but Taylor was a puffin who liked to dream. One day, they would have a place just like it. -
As presidential advisor, Theresa had seen plenty of storms come and go. Her advice was sound, though it seldom varied. Most problems, she found, could be solved with a brisk walk around the park, or bacon. -
Steve and Jessie met at an anti-fracking rally in the Karoo. Steve was mostly there for the free food, but Jessie awakened in him something that he'd been pushing down in himself. Together, they were an inspiration to the whole community. -
The older Sophia got, the more she realised that most warthogs were far too worried about their own affairs to notice her appearance. It was a huge relief. -
He'd never really been a fan of the baboons, but after they warned him of the approaching troupe of lions, Ted found himself more pleasantly disposed towards them. One in particular, Rachel, became a sort of friend, and they would often spend the day together; he nibbling at the dry grasses, she picking for small goggas in the ground. -
Pumpkin. -
Goaty McGoatface.
INTERVIEWED BY Michaela Stehr
We noticed these adorable watercolours on Instagram and had to chat with Cape Town-based writer and artist Katharine Jacobs, a.k.a Sunshine and Piglet, about her quirky creations.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a writer and artist based in Cape Town. By day, I work in publishing, by night, Sunshine & Piglet is my creative outlet.
Have you always been into watercolour?
I studied art at Michaelis, but at that time, was producing mostly large-scale installations (I had a small exhibition at Stevenson just after graduating, in their side gallery). Large-scale installation isn’t very compatible with living in a small flat in the city, so I started painting with watercolour to keep that side of myself alive – without the need to rent studio space. I love watercolour because you can’t be too tight with it. If you’re painting wet in wet, you have to surrender a little, and let it bleed. And sometimes, the paint and the paper know better than you.
You mainly paint animals. Is there a reason behind this?
Painting animals, I think, has something to do with recreating a living creature. When you paint their eyes, they come alive. I always save the eyes to paint last. There was a study recently where they found that when surgeons were shown pictures of cute animals before operating had better concentration and fine motor control. I guess it’s evolutionary – we’re designed to find babies cute so that we take care of them – but I like the idea that looking at animal pictures could make us better people.
You write amazing stories for each painting. How did this start? Will you always provide a back story to each of your works?
I have a masters in creative writing, so partly, it was an outlet for that part of myself. After spending a lot of time working on an animal though, I found myself giving them names, and from there, stories.
What is the weirdest or hardest painting you’ve ever done?
I tried to paint a jellyfish once. It was not a success.
Are you worried you’ll ever run out of animals to paint?
It’s magnificent! There are actually so many different sub-species and so many different, individual animals. I’ve hardly got started yet! That said, I do think Sunshine & Piglet will evolve.
You are starting to paint pet portraits – how can people commission a painting of their furry friends?
They can email me at [email protected], or chat to me on Instagram at @sunshineandpiglet.
