About Naomi Mansfield

I grew up on the cusp of the computer age. For those of you in the same boat, it was a special time to come into yourself. Computers were fascinating, but life was not centered around them. They were a special treat. Internet often wasn't available, because your parents were busy gabbing to grandma on the landline which ruined your chance of a dial up connection. Solitaire and Minesweeper were fun, but nothing compared to Paint.

Like many others, I got caught up in becoming a teen, and later an adult. Then, in my early 20s, I rediscovered the the thing that saved my childhood. I began making portraits of my friends' cats in MS Paint, all embarking on different dreamy adventures. To this day, all Bitcats are created by carefully studying the feline companions of people who are dear to me as well as some patron strangers. I use a bulky old Dell desktop, which can't even access the internet. It wastes space in my room for one reason only: my precious '90s version of MS Paint, which I refuse to update.

People have asked me over the years why I torture myself by using such an archaic program. They also ask why I don't just use a tablet instead of a mouse. If you haven't guessed by now, it is because I am a sucker for nostalgia. I want to create something that reminds people of the childlike wonder that they may have let slip away. I want to help people bring that back, rather than get lost in the many newer, easier elements of the digital age.

The passion I have felt for creating these drawings has led me to the career change of working towards a degree in animation. I obviously won't be creating cartoons using MS Paint, but I will let it inspire me. I hope to someday bring Bitcats to life. Aside from MS Paint, my biggest passion is sculpture. I am working towards marrying these two worlds, and plan to dedicate my life to the art of stop-motion animation.