This is the delightful story of American painter Benjamin West's childhood with his cat Grimalkin in Pennsylvania. Benjamin grew up in a strict Quaker family that did not allow "images" and West credits his cat for helping him discover his artistic gift.
Benjamin West was born with an extraordinary gift—the gift of creating paintings of people, animals, and landscapes so true to life they “took one’s breath away.” But Benjamin is part of a deeply religious Quaker family, and Quaker beliefs forbid the creation of images.
Because Benjamin’s family didn’t approve of his art, he had to make his own painting supplies. The local Native Americans taught him how to mix paints from earth, clay, and plants. And his cat, Grimalkin, sacrificed hair from his tail for Ben’s brushes.
United States