Laser Cat • Brought to You by Medusa Brewing Company

May 22

⊛ Laser Cat ⊛ cut paper + washi / wood ⊛ 8 x 10 in • 203 x 254 mm ⊛ private collection — ⊛ Laser Cat
⊛ hand-cut paper + washi / wood
⊛ 8 x 10 in • 203 x 254 mm
⊛ private collection

1977 was the year that lasers became a HUGE part of my childhood.

Cats didn’t come into the picture for a couple more years, when, if I remember the story right, a neighbor found a pair of kittens in a hay bale and offered them to us for adoption (at the time known as “keeping”). The orange kitten was named Punkin and the black kitten with white socks was dubbed Sox. Not the most imaginative appellations, but with three brothers and their mom vying to be the bequeather of names, the decision was made expeditiously lest war break out.

Beer entered my life much, much later. The exact date has been withheld for legal reasons and because my mom might read this.

Actual Good Beer was even longer in coming. This might seem a shame, but given economic realities, in hindsight I’m grateful. I have a tendency not to be able to go back to the junky stuff after experiencing the exceptional. This has ruined a great many things for me.

Why mention beer, you might wonder?

Notice those vines and flowers (or cones, if you prefer)? That’s hops.

And hops is one of the main ingredients in, you guessed it, beer. Specifically in Laser Cat, an Imperial IPA from Medusa Brewing Company, in Hudson, MA, USA .

I’d been talking to Medusa’s Head Brewer, Keith, about collaborating on some artwork for ages. Way back, when I was primarily an illustrator, actually. It took a while for Medusa Brewing to form and get on solid ground, but since then it’s been roaring. Laser Cat was one of their first popular original brews, and I couldn’t have been more honored to be asked to make an image to grace the can.

As it turns out, “Laser Cat” was a meme before it was a beer.

As far as I can tell, it first popped up in 2014 or 2015, and more-or-less completely missed me. Which is weird, because it seems exactly like the kind of thing I’d crack up about. I mean, lasers, right?

Anyway, I jumped at the chance to try my hand at a bright, fun piece again. I like to dabble in pop-py art every once in awhile, but I’ve got to admit there’s more than a little fear when it comes to those bright colors.

With Laser Cat, I think I successfully embraced the weirdness of the idea. The fact that I didn’t need beer to do so worries me some nights.

I sketched a lot of cats for this project. I mean, A LOT. Dozens. None of which are good enough to show here. They’re all very scribbly. Once we agreed on a cat, the rest was smooth sailing.

I’m particularly fond of the lasers. They really do look like they can burn through steel.

The lettering is real and hand-cut. Unlike, say, cats, cutting lettering is entirely unforgiving. One tiny waver in a line, one little slip while gluing, and everything gets thrown off. I’m not displeased with the results here.

Our Laser Kitty (I like to think that Keith and I have joint custody) lounges on his frosty beverage can, glasses, tees, and more.

The Laser Cat Tee can be purchased from Medusa Brewing’s online shop right now.

The brew itself, along with other merchandise, is a little harder to get your hands on at the moment, thanks to the current world situation. Fingers are crossed that changes soon and Laser Cat will once again stalk through the wilderlands of Massachusetts.