MOHAMED FARGHALY
mfarghaly@queensledger.com
A whimsical and deeply personal solo exhibition by Queens native Jennifer Quinones is currently captivating visitors at Summertime Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn—where cats reign as queens, gods, and knights. The show, titled Feline Period, runs through May 10 and transforms the gallery into a fantasy world inspired by Ancient Egypt and the European Middle Ages.
“This has been my dream to have my own show with my two favorite periods,” said Quinones. “And this witch is really proud of myself and Jenn in the past.”
Quinones, an artist with disabilities affiliated with YAI Arts, has spent the past four months in residence at Summertime, developing the exhibition. The result is a multisensory experience that transforms the space into what Quinones describes as a “golden tomb and pewter fortress.” The exhibition includes stained glass, sculpture, and detailed works on paper, where cats take on the roles of pharaohs, knights, mythic guardians, and fairy tale heroines.
“All of the pieces are basically cats… except Ancient Egypt. Egypt also has two mannequins, one based on King Tut and the other one is Cleopatra,” she explained. “I thought of doing my show almost similar to those shows [at The Met], but with my own version.”
Quinones’ journey as an artist began in junior high school in the late 1990s and early 2000s. “It all started just with cartoon characters,” she said. Although her creative pursuits paused during her early work years, she eventually returned to art—this time, with a deeper commitment. “I started taking the art industry more seriously,” she said, eventually developing a distinctive style marked by fantasy, historical references, and feline symbolism.
Her passion for art and animals came together around 2017, shortly after she joined YAI Arts. “I started having love for drawing animals when I started YAI,” she said. “Ever since then, I’ve been doing cats, animals of like, like, history and stuff.”
Her fascination with Medieval and Ancient Egyptian culture dates back to her high school years. “I always saw in the history books and encyclopedias of armors to Ancient Rome and ancient Greece,” she said. “Then later on, became a renaissance period that I started seeing all these knights, kings and queens.” Inspired by what she saw in textbooks, Quinones also found herself captivated by Egyptian mythology. “I got so inspired by the makeup that they did, so I started doing that makeup with my eyes ever since.”
Some of her favorite deities now appear in the exhibition. “My favorite piece from the Egyptian side is actually the portrait of Anubis,” she said. “I love the fact that he protects the dead in Egyptian mythology.” On the Medieval side, she reimagines well-known figures and tales. “I did a cat based on Rapunzel, which was a very popular piece,” she said. “And one of the pieces that actually are based on the tapestries is the King Arthur, which is the white lion.”
Quinones’ creative process is as layered and meticulous as her influences. “The materials are Prisma colored pencils, which, that’s the most expensive color pencil set, but I love Prisma with passion,” she said. “I use a color pencil, a regular pencil, to sketch the drawing or the scene… then I outline every detail… then I finally erase everything… and I started coloring. So it’s like a pretty, very, like, like, five or six process.”
Her artistic development has been shaped not only by YAI Arts but also by an unexpected opportunity at The Metropolitan Museum of Art earlier this year. In February, Quinones was invited to participate in a rare “touch tour” of the museum’s Egyptian galleries. “They gave us a touching tour where you could touch the exhibit,” she said. “I got to touch the hieroglyphics on the Egyptian side, and I got to touch the statue of one of the Egyptian gods. Her name is Sekhmet—the lion-headed god of chaos, medicine, and the hot desert.”
That moment, she said, left a profound impact. She is now working with The Met on a workshop based on her Divine Pet Portraits series, which imagines animals—especially cats—as mythological guardians and sacred companions.
Quinones credits her artistic path not only to teachers and institutions, but also to her faith. “I just want to deep down… thank God for giving me this amazing gift,” she said. “As a child, when I started drawing, I never knew that I would become a famous artist and go ask a bit if anything happens. I hope to leave an amazing legacy with all my work.”
Her roots remain strong in Queens, where she has lived her entire life. “I’ve lived in Queens all my life,” she said. And even as her work travels across historic eras and ancient legends, her message remains one of hope and perseverance. “Practice makes perfect,” she said. “Even if you’re not the best artist yet, if you keep on practicing, studying the arts, if you keep on trying, then you’ll succeed. Never give up on your goals.”
With Feline Period set to close May 10, Quinones is already looking to the future. Until then, she encourages visitors to step into her world—where cats don royal robes and history unfolds in Prismacolor. “If you can live in any fantasy world, do it,” she said. “This witch encourages you.”
