Cats have been a viral sensation since Ancient Egypt. To add fuel to fire, we’ve put together a diverse group of feline incarnations.

• When Andy Warhol was working as an advertising illustrator in the early ‘50s, he lived with a lot of cats. At one point, there were twenty one inhabiting his brownstone apartment. And yes, they were all named Sam, except for one called Hester. 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy was a book Warhol published himself and gave out to clients and friends. He printed each cat with the blotted line technique that was the trademark of his advertising work and earned him commissions from all the top magazines at the time. The “d” missing in the title was a mistake that Warhol kept because he liked it.

• This Fan by Zhang Yugong depicts an inky cat stalking its prey.

• This Cat dates back to the Ptolemaic Period of Ancient Egypt, when depictions of the goddess Bastet changed from lioness to domesticated cat. She became a viral sensation, earning her own cult and thousands of figurines.

• Chris Wrinn’s Pendant is made of pure silver with a gold foil heart.

• Pamela Staker’s Sitting Cat has loose, dynamic outlines in paint, pastel, and colored paper.

• Yaci’s Rings wrap your finger in a sleeping cat’s head in black or silver.

• Dheeradj van der Geest’s Ring is made of sterling silver sanded in the shape of a stylized cat.

• Bri’s Whiskers has newsprint fur covered with colorful stripes of paint.

• Mai’s Neko Ring is made of silver curving into subtle cat ears.

• Carl Harris’ Clowns Boots depicts Catboy, the boy who has the shadow of a cat.

• Denise Payne’s Cats are all sitting in a row, no doubt watching birds, with their fur in an intricate pen-and-ink pattern.

We hate using umbrellas for practical purposes, like rain or sun protection. Why not explore these other, more useless, options?

• Alfred Lombard’s Marthe et Pauline à la Terrasse looks like a rainbow of colorful popsicles melting under the summer heat. The brushstrokes give the impression of looking through a haze and seeing the patterns of their clothing loosen up under the golden sunlight. These women are made of color, not flesh. Why isn’t Lombard more well-known? Marthe and Pauline are the worthy sisters of Matisse’s Woman with a Hat. Lombard exhibited this work in 1910, five years after the Fauves had caused their scandal. He must have seen that exhibition; look at how Pauline’s hat approaches abstraction just as Madame Matisse’s? Cubism was the new rage in 1910, and Lombard may have just missed the boat.

• In the Portuguese town of Agueda, Umbrella Sky was a Marry Poppins dream come true. The colorful umbrellas caught the sun in mid-air, floating above a street like a canopy of stained glass.

• Luke Jerram’s Just Sometimes floated one thousand umbrellas upside down in the waterways of Rotterdam. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone started spontaneously whistling the tune of Singin’ in the Rain.

• Takekasa has a wide array of exquisite parasols. Her Red Parasol has silk strings wrapped around the bamboo spokes. Her Yellow Parasol has a golden center and stripes of brown, peach, and pale blue along the outer edge.

• This iPhone Case by Sew Posh Designs is padded with a pattern of colorful parasols.

• Jordani Sarreal’s Travel Pouch keeps all of your essentials together for, perhaps, a trip to Japan.

• Allison Patrick’s Pendant Light is made from interlocking cocktail umbrellas that create a watercolor glow.

• Nichole’s Paris Graffiti prints capture corners of the city hiding bits of wit and whimsy.

• Claudia’s Parasol is hand painted with pink, green, and orange swirls, allowing the brushwork to show through. It would fit perfectly in Lombard’s painting.

• Marabara’s Bag is made of deep red canvas with a graphic pattern of white parasols.

There’s an underwater museum you can visit in Mexico, but for now we’ve put together our own exhibit of specimens that remind us of coral.

• David Trubridge’s Lightshade is made of bamboo plywood pieces interlocking in a geometric polyhedron reminiscent of coral.

• The Museo Subacuático de Arte, or MUSA, covers the sea floor of the waters surrounding Cancun and Isla Mujeres with hundreds of sculptures. The most frequent visitors are various forms of marine life that inhabit the sculptures, which also function as a complex reef system. The Museum aims to support and recover the natural reefs.

• The Great Star Coral inhabits the Caribbean seas where it falls pray to the Crown of Thorns starfish. I think an HBO series is in order.

• This Plate by Owl’s Glade is made of porcelain polyps that look like fossilized coral.

• Floyd Heberer’s Sea Shells are made of matte white ceramic and clustered in a fan shape.

• Sarah Whittle’s Brooch is a bundle of cotton and silk threads hand-stitched in a barnacle-like texture.

• Esther and Estella’s Ring frames a barnacle, found on the beach in Turkey, on a wavy silver base.

• This Brooch by The Lint Balloon is a bundle of white felt coral, embroidered barnacles, and beaded sea urchins.

• This Nautilus by Vortex Glass Works is a lampworked glass spiral with a swirling  pattern of orange and beige.

• Casey Sharpe’s Bracelet is made of beige embroidery thread and sterling silver barnacles reminiscent of washed up bones encrusted with sea life.

• Kaitlind Marek’s Necklace is made of nickel wire, twisted in the shape of fan coral, and tiny turquoise beads.

With my fan
I mime sipping sake–shaded by
Falling cherry blossom.
Bashô

• Gary Hume’s Cherry Blossom is pre-mixed paint floating on an aluminum panel. He expunges any trace of depth, of field and meaning, so that the blossom floats on the surface like a near-abstract stencil.

• David Wiseman’s Cherry Blossom Branches are candlesticks surrounded by twisting bronze branches and porcelain blossoms.

• Darren Almond’s Sakura Chart #0.09 records the lushness and light-to-pink axis of looking at a cherry blossom branch during one particular moment.

• Thuy-Ai’s Earrings suspend pink paper hearts that resemble fallen cherry blossoms.

• Maiko Girl’s Cuff is covered with silver kimono fabric that has a subtle cherry blossom design.

• Liga Kandele’s Scarf is made of pale purple silk chiffon hand-painted with a flurry of cherry blossoms.

• Topaz Turtle’s Ring is made of translucent lilac resin with two flat sides to fit comfortably between your fingers.

• Kelly’s Necklace frames a cherry blossom tree, made of fuchsia crystals and sterling silver branches, in a round pendant.

• Yevgenia’s Tea Set includes a pot and two cups painted with cherry blossom branches wrapping around the white ceramic sides.

• Heather Lange’s Note Cards are hand-painted with cherry blossoms.

• Lili’s Bracelet combines three tiers of beads in powder rose, bronze, and splattered brown with pink.

Octopi have many admirable qualities, and if they lived longer they would most certainly take over the world. One octopus in Germany was so annoyed at a bright light in his aquarium that he squirted a jet of water at it and extinguished. He could also juggle hermit crabs and was fond of rearranging his tank. Read more about why octopi are better than humans.

• David Bielander’s Kraken is a candelabra, made of cast bronze, that looks like it belongs on a pirate ship.

• Simon Bielander’s Krake Photo Print is a realistic rendering of the candelabra’s tentacles, only this time the octopus is submerged in red liquid. Perhaps its victim lies underneath.

• Mary O’Malley’s Salad Plate has its side encrusted with crustaceans, as if it was removed from the bottom of the ocean. Take a look at her other ceramic work – a breathtaking fusion of fantasy and everyday objects.

• Dwight Hwang’s Octopus is an original print made using the gyotaku, the method of depicting fish by rubbing ink directly on paper. The art form goes back to the 1800s when Japanese fishermen recorded their catches of the day. This particular print emphasizes the movement of tentacles, trailing off into lines of ink.

• This Ring by OctopusME is a thick tentacle made of lightly oxidized sterling silver.

• Shayne Greco’s Bowl has octopus tentacles sculpted into its rim, spilling over like the crest of a wave.

• Justine Brooks’ Ring is a bronze baby octopus fanning its tentacles neatly around a sterling silver band.

• Michael’s Ring wraps a bronze tentacle around your finger.

• Decomp’s Scarf Set is a combination of three separate pieces with squid-like structures.

• Joe V.’s iPad Sleeve is made of leather engraved with an octopus design and made to look slightly aged.

• Linda Smyth’s Ring envelops your finger with tentacles made of rose gold plated silver.