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This was a cover for Dragon magazine #149, done in June of 1989 (although the magazine didn't come out until September.)
It proved to be quite popular, and was used on several other TSR publications as well, including the Thieves Handbook.
It's my friend Stacia, kneeling in front of a treasure chest that contains every piece of jewelry I owned (and several I didn't,) as well as a US Quarter, dime, and penny.
The cats are Julia Ecklar's cat, Albion. Julia had a clowder of cats at the time, all of whom loved to play with a certain cat toy. I thought I'd bring it over, and they'd all go nuts while Julia held the lamp (and operated the toy; a kind of kitty-fishing-pole) and I took the pictures. But no. The light and camera had never been part of the operation before, and they were all filled with suspicion and distrust, and sat there watching intently and warily. Except Albion, who was the youngest, and who had never had a chance to play with the toy unimpeded by other cats, and was therefore willing to risk it.
So she's the one who wound up in the picture!
Like Music Lover, it's gone through two limited edition runs, but I still get letters asking for it. So, because I hate to disappoint people, here it is in a smaller size, as an open edition print. (See, I do respond to e-mail requests!)
This print is now available from my Zazzle store. Prints from Zazzle aren't signed, but you can choose any size you want, printed on any of the various Zazzle papers (from cardstock to canvas.) The default size is 17x22 inches (the size of the original) but you can make it smaller, or make it a standard size, if you want to. Prints come without a frame or mat, but you can have them framed if you want to.
This image is also available on cards, postcards, iPhone and iPad cases, and more. (If you would like it on something else Zazzle offers, let me know.)
Besides all of that, you have more payment choices at Zazzle, and they ship more quickly. So moving things there seemed like a win-win to me.
We have 1 left in the signed edition. If you want it, order it soon. When it's gone, I'm going to remove the buttons at the bottom of this page, and the signed prints will no longer be available.
So, go to the Trinket print in my Zazzle store if you'd like one.