THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE ART:
We just got these shirts from the printers and they are beautiful!
They come in a warm mustard yellow color and a lovely soft feel and cut. We appreciate the great job that Denver’s Indyink did for us. The printing process was slightly different for each color shirt. The yellow of the cloth is revealed for the yellow of the design. This little bit of special effort limits the number of layers and makes the shirts visually unified and keeps them feeling so soft and comfortable when you wear them.
This is my depiction of a maneki-neko which translates as “Beckoning Cat”. These cats are a popular piece of Japanese culture and act as good luck charms in many businesses and households. Many of us in the west are most familiar with seeing them in Japanese restaurants and other businesses but they have become popular among American households too. They were traditionally believed to bring a wide variety of good fortunes like health and good luck but here in the US we mostly know them as figures that beckon money. (In Japan , the beckoning “come here” gesture is made with the palm down).
I’ve paired the image with lyrics from one of the most famous and influential rap songs ever created and one of my personal favorites from the 90s, C.R.E.A.M. by Wu-Tang Clan. In my opinion, Raekwon is one of the best rappers of that whole era. Listen to the song here!
Carefully curated
At Ravi Zupa Arts, we take pride in creating amazing artworks and products for your home. Our wide range of art and fun illustrations are carefully curated to provide you with unique and stylish pieces to fit your lifestyle.
Artist made from beginning to end
All artworks are designed by artist Ravi Zupa and printed by skilled craftspeople. Then, we fulfill all orders from our art studio in Commerce City, Colorado.
Meet the team
Ravi Zupa Arts is a team of 5 creative humans, 4 backyard ducks, and 1 studio cat. We work hard to create and fulfill your new art!
