Park West Gallery Collectors and art fans love asking David “Lebo” LeBatard questions about his designs and inspirations. One of the most common questions is “What’s with all the owls and cats?”

Of course the subjects of Lebo’s artwork can vary wildly depending on what he’s trying to convey, but his popular owl and cat characters—or “totems” as he sometimes calls them—have become regular staples in his art.

“What I’ve learned to do is treat those as my own cartoon characters, my own ‘Peanuts’ or my own ‘Calvin and Hobbes,’ and they evolve and change through the paintings,” he says.