Keely Willoughby's cat, Bernard showed himself to be a very intelligent animal in one of the pictures she sent me. I wanted to capture this for the "Pet Portrait Swap." Although Chinese brush painting isn't a media I usually express myself in, there was something about his expression that called for this media to be used. I am practised in Chinese and Japanese calligraphy and have studied many exhibitions in major museum shows of historical Asian brushwork. This piece may have only taken several minutes to do, however more than a decade of study is behind it. This is my first depiction of an animal in this media. It's not the best sample on earth of this style, but it can still be enjoyed for it portrays an actual being's life. BERNARD WILLOUGHBY