Irving the cat sits on the floor of McEneaney’s studio with his tail wrapped neatly around his body. He looks toward the viewer with bright green eyes, which seem to glow within the mostly white-and-black composition. Behind him, the studio wall is inscribed with notes (“58 dogs make 53 total”), calculations, and a sketch of a cat embracing another cat. McEneaney considers her pets to be “talismans,” and they are integral to her work. One source of inspiration is the pet portraits of Joan Brown (1938–1990), who in turn had emulated the talismanic quality of animal paintings by Henri Rousseau (1844–1910).
Born in Germany, McEneaney moved to Philadelphia in 1973 to attend the Philadelphia College of Art (later the University of the Arts) and subsequently the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), where she earned a certificate in painting. Her subjects are the personal and everyday: her studio and home in Philadelphia’s Callowhill neighborhood, portraits of herself and her pets, and scenes of the nearby Rail Park. McEneaney’s work is in many public and private collections, including Woodmere, PAFA, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She has received numerous awards, including an Anonymous Was a Woman grant, a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant, and a Pew Fellowship in the Arts. She is represented by Locks Gallery in Philadelphia and Tibor de Nagy Gallery in New York.
