In this delightful image in Charles Wysocki’s popular collection of prints featuring family felines, we are invited to pause for a moment in the presence of the serene and inscrutable world of cats. As Max and Remington embrace and bask in the fire’s warmth, three mice tentatively peer out from the wood pile and from behind the fireplace shovel. These intruders are in no hurry, understanding from previous experience that there will be plenty of time to play and an abundance of warmth to go around.

“I believe that animals, like humans, are products of their environment,” the artist comments. “If they live in a loving home and are not exposed to the alternative, their antennas are tuned into this happy condition, and they become a supreme joy to live with. I’ve attempted to depict in this painting my observations and revelations of the devotion these two chums exhibit for each other. And in my world all creatures, even mice, are invited to add their playful presence.”