Happy Chinese New Year 2021 (The Year of the Ox)

 Today marks the official start of the Chinese New Year, and...it's the Year of the Ox!

(Courtesy of  Maggie Swanson)

For the past few years I have been the lucky recipient of the GORGEOUS Chinese New Year cards that talented artist, and fellow blogger, Maggie Swanson (visit her Shelter Cats blog here), has been creating for TWELVE years!!

Are you born in one of the years listed below?

I am always enthralled when I see Maggie's artwork.  Maggie is a  brilliant illustrator, you can read about her, and see some of her gorgeous illustrations  on  her artist  website:

When I was a little girl, we lived in an apartment over our grocery store. My parents sold the basics: canned goods, bread, milk and eggs, fresh vegetables and meat. Customers sat talking to my father while he filled their orders. Sometimes they read to me or we colored pictures together. I spent a lot of time in my nest under the penny candy counter, drawing pictures and sneaking an occasional piece of candy when the coast was clear. I can't remember when I decided to become an artist. It was all I ever really wanted to do.

After graduation from Rhode Island School of Design, I spent three years at Hallmark Cards. In college I learned about drawing and painting and dreaming. Hallmark taught me to start and finish a job in a timely and professional manner. After that, I started my freelance career, and have illustrated over 100 children's books for many different publishers.

Now I live in Connecticut, USA with my husband Rick and our cats Mickey Mouser and Rufus the Red, and In my spare time I like to read, garden, and volunteer at PAWS, my local animal shelter. I also photograph and keep a blog about the shelter cats that I meet there. 

We can't thank Maggie enough for taking the time to think of us, and for sending us this darling card. Hoping it brings us some good luck!!!

KittyCat Art Studio: "Purrfect" Handcrafted Cat Decor

courtesy of KittyCat Art Studio

Hi furiends! On April 30th, I shared the darling painting of Cody (see below) that was created by KittyCatArtStudio.com  as a result of my winning a give-away  that was held by Ingrid King of The Conscious Cat.) 


My painting is a "Tabby Cat in a Flower Pot" (you can see other examples above and on the KittyCat Art Studio website). 

I wish you could see this in person to appreciate how unique it is. It is hand-made by Laura Anglemoyer of KittyCat Art Studio. It was painted using acrylic paints. It measures 14 inches tall by 9 inches wide and is able to be used indoors or OUTDOORS because it has a weather resistant coating. It can be hung by using the wire on the back.

When you place an order with Laura her warmth and friendliness as well as professionalism is evident every step of the way. She will offer suggestions if needed, (I pretty much let her take over the entire creative process behind Cody's flower pot because she is so talented that I wanted to leave the decision-making up to her. I received a proof each time I made a change.)

KittyCat Art Studio is a family owned studio and shop. Owner Laura Anglemoyer hand paints each piece that she creates.  Laura's husband takes her original design sketches and creates the metal or wood art pieces from her sketches, then he brings them to Laura to hand paint them. Laura and her husband have over 30 years of experience each!!! Each piece is created with pride and much love. 

Laura is an "Artist of Cats" Her style is graphic realism. She prefers to work in three dimension and loves working with polymer clay, metal and wood.

Laura has a BFA in Industrial Design from R.I.T., she has worked as a presentation artist and retail store interior designer and retail fixture designer. She began creating cat ornaments and paintings as a personal hobby when she was expecting her youngest daughter.

courtesy of KittyCat Art Studio

Laura loves animals, especially cats. Like the rest of us, she knows first paw about how much joy they bring to our lives and how they help to relax us in this fast-paced, often crazy world in which we live.

KittyCat Art Studio has cat ornaments, cat desk items, customized cat paintings and signs and more!!

courtesy of KittyCat Art Studio

I wasn't required AT ALL, nor was I paid to share this today. I wanted to blog about Cody's flower pot because I LOVE IT THAT MUCH.  I have it hanging in my kitchen where I can see it every single day. The way Laura captured Cody's expression is beyond special to me, it is a piece that I will treasure forever.  I hope you will visit her site and purchase something unique for yourself or all of the cat lovers in your life!! KittyCat Art Studio's creations are purrfect for Mother's Day gifts or ANYTIME gifts. If you would like to do some Mother's Day shopping, they are offering 10% off of many items now through Mother's Day. I would pounce on this opportunity if I were you, that's for sure!


KittyCat Art Studio is on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.

The Cat Chalk iOS App Photo Editing Tool is Up and Running!

FROM CAT CHAT WITH CAREN AND CODY: Hi my furiends!! Back on November 9th we featured a new app on the blog called Cat Chalk. After the post went live we were notified that the app was not functioning properly. Well, guess what kitties? All has been fixed!!! As a result, we are going to re-post what we originally posted on November 9th (with a couple of corrections),  because a number of you were interested in the app.

I am so excited to present a NEW APP  that allows cat owners and enthusiasts a way to easily add specially designed artwork to cat photos and also gives the ability to share those photos directly to Instagram and Facebook (as well as email and text), directly from the app while raising funds for cats in need!!

MEET

CAT CHALK!!

WHAT MAKES CAT CHALK
 DIFFERENT FROM OTHER ART APPS?  - Cat Chalk artwork is made uniquely for cats (and their pawrents). Now there’s no need to re-purpose dog or baby artwork for cat photos!

How cute is this??? I not only posted it on Instagram,
I was able to email a copy to myself
directly through the Cat Chalk app!!

The app is amazingly easy to use (even for ME, the most "non-techie" PURRSON in the world!!!) The artwork is always changing too which makes it so much fun!!!  The video below will show you just how easy it is!!

I love that you can also change your filter within the app, you can email yourself a copy of your creation, you can also share directly to Instagram and Facebook. Here is a screenshot that I took when I created Cody's graphic that is at the top of this blog post.

The artwork is soooo cute and clever, there are stickers, sayings such as "Feline Friday", "Whisker Wednesday", "Tuna Tuesday" and more! There are graphics for birthdays, adoption days, all sorts of things, purrfect for YOUR changing moods and the changing moods of your kitty!!! You can find the purrfect artwork and sayings that suit YOUR kitty, and since there is the ability to create your own text, you can make your own!!! There are so many things that you can do! Check out the screenshot I took below that gives you a teeny-tiny idea of all of the cute artwork you can find there!

HOW WILL CAT CHALK RAISE FUNDS FOR CATS? For the first 30 days,   100% of all app purchase price will be donated every time the app is downloaded with the goal of raising $10,000 during the initial launch. They will be donating until January 17th but it might continue longer than that!!    The donations will be provided  from in-app revenue to rescues across the United States and Canada. 

HOW MUCH IS THE APP TO PURCHASE?  USD $2.99 (THAT'S LESS THAN THE AVERAGE BAG OF KITTY TREATS!!!)

Trust me my furiends, if I can do this ANYONE CAN!!! Here is the first post I did with the Cat Chalk App that I posted to Instagram

Check out these darling creations

 that the Cat Chalk App team made!!

courtesy of Cat Chalk

courtesy of Cat Chalk

courtesy of Cat Chalk

  Furiends you MUST get your paws on this app!! You will have so much fun creating and sharing your  photos with your fans and furiends while helping to raise funds for kitties in need!!! 

WHO WILL RECEIVE THE FUNDS? The money will go to a range of rescue groups, shelters and organizations focused on helping and finding homes for felines. Each social media post will have a unique link allowing proceeds to be donated to the rescue of choice. Full reporting will be provided on a weekly basis.

GET STARTED TODAY!!! 
YOU CAN FIND THE  CAT CHALK APP HERE:
  

 FTC DISCLOSURE:I received no financial compensation for this post. I was able to test the app and in exchange Cat Chalk will donate 100% of app purchase price ($2.99 USD) to my favorite cat charity or rescue with a goal of reaching a total of $10,000 in funds at launch.

The Complete Cat: a unique and exciting exhibition of feline art (Guest Post)

This winter, a unique and exciting exhibition of feline art will be held in the vibrant and artistic town of Frome in Somerset. 'The Complete Cat' brings together 26 top artists from the Society of Feline Artists (SOFA) and will feature over 120 artworks including paintings, drawings and 3-dimensional pieces. All artworks are for sale and a quarter of the proceeds will be donated to feline charity International Cat Care.

Courtesy of International Cat Care

The free exhibition is running from Saturday 24^th November to Saturday 8^th December (excluding Mondays), and is being held at Rook Lane Gallery in Frome. There will also be a launch party on Friday 23^rd November and a drawing workshop focusing on cats’ eyes on Saturday 24^th November.

Rook Lane Gallery Courtesy of International Cat Care

 Rook Lane Gallery is a beautiful art space within a restored 18^th century chapel, in the heart of Frome. The Somerset town is a charming and vibrant place to visit, packed with historic buildings, beautiful independent shops and creative people. It is the perfect destination for the discerning art enthusiast looking for something just a little bit different, and with a host of Christmas events and markets also taking place in Frome at this time of year, it makes it the ideal place to visit. At just over two hours from London and 14 miles from Bath, it is also extremely well-placed and easily accessible.

International Cat Care and the Society of Feline Artists, who are jointly running the exhibition, are looking to create something truly unique which celebrates all aspects of the feline form. What makes this a must-see exhibition is the exceptional quality and diversity of the art to be displayed. With a whole range of artistic styles and media, the art on offer will leave all preconceptions of the traditional cat exhibition far behind, instead offering a unique, quirky and memorable art experience.

SOFA has a well-established history of successful art exhibitions. Founded in 1994, with the specific aim to promote the work of the best cat artists, the society has held an annual exhibition of cat paintings in London for many years, featuring over 100 artists, some of whom exhibit internationally and show more than 300 paintings in a range of media, making it the largest exhibition of cat art in the country.

International Cat Care, which has partnered with SOFA to organise the exhibition, is one of the world's most respected feline charities and works for owned and unowned cats globally. It is also the charity's 60^th anniversary and the SOFA artists have generously committed 25% of the takings to the charity.

Full details of the exhibition can be found at: https://icatcare.org/the-complete-cat

Winner!! Custom Canvas Pet Portrait By Petsy and the Petsy Indiegogo Campaign!

Thank you to all who entered our give-away sponsored by:

In total there were 61 LEGAL ENTRIES...(the 61 includes the bonus entries, anyone who came back and commented multiple times, those comments were disqualified.) Only the FIRST comment was entered.

So, out of the 61 comments, I entered the numbers on random.org and the lucky comment number that was chosen is #29

The kitty who was lucky #29 is:

DEZIZ!!!

and her blog is:

DEZIZ WORLD

HUGE CONCATULATIONS!!

WE KNOW HER MAMA

IS GOING TO LOVE THIS!!!

TO THOSE WHO DIDN'T WIN
THERE IS A 
Petsy Indiegogo Campaign:

CLICK TO VISIT THE

PETSY INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN

TO SEE THE AVAILABLE PERKS!

"Color Your World" with Cat Coloring Books by L.A. Vocelle

As readers of our blog, most of you know that when I have the time I enjoy coloring. When I was a kid my biggest thrill was a virgin box of Crayolas just begging to be used. I must have found their waxy smell to be intoxicating, because I was obsessed with coloring. God help any kids who came over  to color with me. If they broke a crayon it was a mortal sin, I also couldn't tolerate when they couldn't color within the lines. (Yes, even at 5 I was a control freak).

I have featured much of what I have colored on the blog and today I want to feature two beautiful books I received after connecting with the creator, L.A. Vocelle in the Coloring Books for Cat Lovers group on Facebook.  I reached out to her practically begging for the books, and she kindly obliged!

The first book I am sharing with you is the Cats and Geishas Coloring Book.   I have long had a fascination with all things Asian and this book is quite unique!

FROM the Cats and Geishas Coloring Book: -52 one-sided coloring pages will provide you with hours of stress relieving relaxation while coloring historically based Ukiyo-e woodprints. 

-Each coloring page shows a beautiful geisha interacting with a cat(s) and/or a kitten(s).

The coloring pages in this book are based on Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the period (1603-1868). Translated, Ukiyo-e means a fleeting, transient world based on the Buddhist philosophy of impermanence. Ukiyo-e works were mostly woodblock prints, and the primary subjects were landscapes, seascapes, geishas and cats colored with vegetable dyes and then copied for mass consumption. This new art form was supported by the newly wealthy Japanese merchant class who were expressly interested in pleasure.

Geishas and cats were likened to each other just as women and cats have been equated throughout the world and history. Cats’ enigmatic mystical nature of loving yet vicious, peaceful yet aggressive was also used to describe women. Therefore, cats were the perfect companions of geishas.

Some supernatural representations include demon cats (bakeneko) along with a geisha. These are based on folktales where geishas and courtesans were able to change into cats. Demon cats are easily spotted with a towel or napkin over their heads or sometimes with a forked tail. 

Of course I had to color the kitty to make it look like Cody!

The geishas and cats are portrayed in domestic scenes. Geishas are wearing colorful and intricately designed kimonos and are reading, writing, gardening or playing music, all attributes that a geisha must possess. Some cats are on leashes, and some are playing or humorously causing chaos.

Spring has FINALLY arrived in Michigan! What better way to celebrate than to spend some downtime coloring in the beautiful Cats and Flowers Coloring Book by L.A. Vocelle.  

Here you will find  25 hand drawn illustrations of cats and flowers.

- All coloring pages are one-sided to prevent bleed through.

- Illustrations vary in difficulty so both adults and children can share in the coloring.

- Enjoy bonus pages from Laura's  other coloring books on Cat Breeds, Ancient Egyptian Cats, and Medieval Cats

Yep I made the cat Cody again!

Many people will say, "I am not artistic, I can't color." That could NOT be further from the truth. I always marvel when I see pictures online that people have colored and I read that they actually RESEARCHED what color a certain flower should be, they RESEARCHED what color  "this and that" should be. That is NOT my style and never will be. That takes me back to the days in school where an Art teacher in grade school would draw a tree and 30 kids had to draw the SAME EXACT TREE. I was never, ever like that (maybe because I was raised by an artist). Schools kill a love of art by not giving children the freedom to express themselves THEIR WAY.  YOU ARE AN ADULT NOW AND YOU ARE NOT IN SCHOOL. DO WHAT YOU WANT! DO IT YOUR WAY!

In my Geisha page above, I did not research what color her kimino should be, I went with what felt good to ME, I did the same with the flowers in the picture above that I colored. I color with colors that appeal to me on THAT DAY. As long as they work for me, that's all that matters.

But...I will fill you in on a little secret. While MOST PEOPLE find coloring to be relaxing, I am not one of them. Due to having a STRONG background in art (I was going to major in Art in college, in High School I spend 4 hours a day every day in Art classes. In college I was not going to major in art history,  but in  CREATING ART). I tend to take my coloring as seriously as I did as a child. There had better not be any broken crayons, pencils, etc., and no one will be harder on themselves than ME for coloring OUTSIDE of the lines, (trust me I DID color outside of the lines, a TON on these! Both of the pages I colored were colored with both colored pencils and markers. I originally was anti colored pencils but have since changed my mind because they give me the ability to shade certain areas that I may wish to shade.)

If you have never colored give it a try, it IS RELAXING for MOST PEOPLE. If you currently do color, be sure to add these two books to your coloring book library. I am thrilled with them and you will be too! Both books are available on Amazon and I linked to their purchase pages above. (Mother's Day is right around the corner and these would make great  gifts for the cat lovers in your life, and "just because" gifts!) 

I would like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to Laura for indulging me by sending me these fabulous and unique coloring books, so that I may share them with all of you! 

ABOUT L.A. VOCELLE:Laura Vocelle is the creator and founder of The Great Cat  , the top art, history and literature website about cats. For free downloadable coloring pages and other publications related to cats visit her website (which I linked to above). You can subscribe to receive weekly updates on cats in art, history and literature. 

CAT BOOK: CATICONS:4,000 Years of Art Imitating Cats by Sandy Lerner

"cat·i·con [kat ́-ī-kän]; n. A tangible representation of the feline form of a purely decorative order, i.e., an object with no functional purpose; an objet d’art created in the image of a feline."

"Caticons is a book containing the private collection of Sandy Lerner; a collection that documents 4,000 years of humans and their love of all things feline."

Imagine a sumptuous banquet, a banquet the likes of which you have never seen. You sit in awe of the courses as they appear one by one before you. You savor the many layers of pleasure that each course provides. You linger for hours, insatiably devouring all that is placed before you. That’s Caticons by Sandy Lerner.  A sumptuous banquet of art, history, literature, memorabilia and more,  that will delight the senses and soul of every cat  lover. A treasure they will return to throughout ALL of their nine lives.

---

"This book documents a very personal collection, one originally began as a catholicon for my congenital need to live with cats, during a catless hiatus caused by living instead with my new husband, an individual highly allergic to the entire family of Mammalia, and that’s just for starters. In time, this pursuit would evolve into an end in itself. I am well aware of my good fortune: the opportunity to live with such beautiful objects is a luxury in which only a very few can afford to indulge. Unlike some collectors who either follow trends or believe they are prophets in the art market, I have collected simply on the catholicity of (1) is it a cat, and (2) do I like it? Therefore, there are no images of unhappy cats, unlucky cats, or even unsociable cats. “My cats” are happy, healthy, and loved, in life and in art." 

Sandy Lerner
Virginia and Catcombe Mill, 2016

After being presented with Caticons by Sandy Lerner, I can state rather definitively that I seriously doubt that I will EVER have the pleasure of perusing a book of this quality and magnitude again. It is ENORMOUS. Enormous in reference to the amount of content, photographs and the size of the book.  It is simply magnificent. This is NOT a book that one can sit with during two nights of a weekend (as I tried to do) and think they are going to be able to finish it. It will NOT happen.

Over 300 pages, it is immediately evident to any who have the pleasure of reading and owning Caticons, that it is a TRUE labor of love. The enormity of Sandy Lerner's collection is mind-boggling.

The sections presented in Caticons are:

• Preface
• I. Introduction
• II. Early Cats
• III. Cats of the East
• IV. Chronological Cats
• V. Cats by Artists
• VI. Special Cats
• VII. Cats in Books & Entertainment
• VIII. Cats in the Home
• IX. Women and Cats & Men and Cats
• X. Cats and Children
• XI. Cats and Music
• XII. Cats and Others
• XIII. Cats and Cats
• XIV. Cats and Prey
• XV. Cats and Kittens
• XVI. Cats Just Being Cats
• XVII. Cat Bling
• The Cat Conundrum:How Many Cats?

Remember when I referred to Caticons as being a sumptuous banquet above? Sit back because I am going to present some appetizers to you.

Photo Courtesy of Sandy Lerner
Persian Cats, Persian, late-19C/20C

From the section entitled "Early Cats" the above is an opaque watercolor on paper that measures 8 and a half by 13 inches. The description is: "White Persian cats peer intently from their green perch engulfed in a warm ochre backdrop. Their beautiful expressive faces are delicately detailed hair by hair in smoky tones contrasting with bright emerald eyes."

Photo Courtesy of Sandy Lerner
Carving of a Standing Cat, Faberge', Russian, c.1890
Green Hardstone, tiger's eye and gold, 5 inches long

From the 19th Century section of Caticons the above is one of my favorites because green is my favorite color! The description is: "This green hardstone cat modeled arched in warning, ready to strike, was created by Fabrege' and belonged to the Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, a member of the Russian Imperial Family and cousin of the Czar. The super artistry and fine craftsmanship for which Faberge' is known can be seen in the way the artist used changes in the stone's surface to provide mottling over the cat's body while adding tiny details like the gold piquet-point whiskers."

Photo Courtesy of Sandy Lerner
Musical Cat Carousel, Austrian, early 20C
metal, 9 and a half inches high

From the Cats and Music Section the description is as follows: "The introduction of steam power in the mid-19th Century added excitement and novelty to carousels, leading to their widespread popularity. Produced during the golden age of carousel rides (ca. 1860-1930), this music box, which plays "Weiner Blut" by Johann Strauss, features six detachable cats, each enjoying the thrill of musical, mechanized action. Steam power dramatically changed the pace of transportation, manufacturing, and even leisure, making this miniature an exciting reference to the latest amusements of the day."

Photo Courtesy of Sandy Lerner
Carousel Cat, Manner of Gustav Dentzel
Kreuznach, Germany 1844-1909
Philadelphia, flourished 1890-1906
mid-20C, wood and brass, 53 inches high

Also from the Cats and Music section,  and on the same page as the carousel featured above, we have the Carousel Cat. " Carousels were popular amusement rides at fairs beginning in the 19th Century. Gustav Dentzel, a German carver, was famous for his well-executed realistic menagerie, like this carousel cat. Although posed in a very similar jumping position, his cats typically feature a fish rather than a ribbon in the cat's mouth. Three of Dentzel's cats still provide rides today at the Ontario Beach Park Carousel in Rochester, New York, where they continue to be one of the most popular animals on the carousel." (No surprise to me!)

Photo Courtesy of Sandy Lerner
"Chat", Leonard-Tsuguharu Foujita
(Tokyo 1886-1968 Zurich), 1926
watercolor and ink on silk 17 3/8 by 13 inches

From the Cats by Artists section as a result of my adoration of all things tabby and that the word "Chat" is part of our blog title, I chose to feature the above gorgeous piece of art last.  "Chat" illustrates Foujita's distinct style of combining ink with watercolors to create a portrait of a cat. In this work, silk rather than paper serves as the canvas. The cat's face is detailed with a  pink nose and rimmed hypnotic eyes somewhat like Foujita's own round glasses, which later became his trademark accessory."

Quotes

I am a quote collector from way back. Before ending this review it is important to me to mention that throughout Caticons you will find some of the most wonderful cat quotes you will ever read. I have read MANY (as I am sure most of you have too), but quite a large number of the quotes were new to me!  Here is a sampling of some of my favorites:

"When you're special to a cat, you're special indeed...she brings to you the gift of her preference of you, the sight of you, the sound of your voice, the touch of your hand." Leonore Fleischer (Hudson, New York 1932-2009) journalist and author.

"It is believed in some circles, that when one of our pets goes on ahead and after they feel we have had enough time to mourn them, they will send another life for us to save and love. It is their spiritual legacy to us." Vancat Onlion (American Contemporary) writer and animal advocate.

"A cat pours his body on the floor like water. It is restful just to see him." William Lyon Phelps (New Haven Connecticut 1865-1943) author, critic and educator.

"Cat people are different, to the extent that they generally are not conformists. How can they be, with a cat running their lives?" Dr. Louis Camuti (Parma, Italy 1893-1981 New York City) veterinarian and author.

"When moving to a new house, always put the cat through a window instead of the door. That way it will not leave." American Aphorism.

If you think I have even begun to scratch (pun intended!) the surface of Caticons with this review, think again. It would take me longer than the over three hours I have spent writing this review. Much, much longer. To be completely candid, the book is so enormous that I will be going back into it myself, because there is no way that this beautiful book can be appropriately absorbed and enjoyed in a mere two sittings of a few hours each. The final quote I am going to present to you is actually a quote that accompanies the stone cat sculpture that is shown on the cover of Caticons:

Cover Photo Courtesy of Sandy Lerner

"The beautiful cat which endures, and endures."

 Stela of Nebra, 16th Century BC

The enjoyment you will experience when you purchase Caticons will also "endure and endure". This is a book that MUST have a home on your coffee table, ready and waiting for you to "paw" through  it again and again. Gift one to your favorite cat lover, more importantly, gift one to YOURSELF.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sandy Lerner (alias Ava Farmer) has a truly cluttered past and specializes in being awkward and petting cats. While possibly best-known for founding Urban Decay,  co-founding cisco Systems, and promoting animal welfare, she has returned to her roots (pun intended), having established an organic, humane, and predator-friendly agricultural enterprise, Ayrshire Farm, and its retail division, Gentle Harvest, to promote sustainable, anti-factory farming and endangered heritage breed livestock.

In full disclosure: I was sent a copy of Caticons in exchange for my always honest review. I received no other compensation.

Cats (and their stories) Needed For Cat Calendar 2019 !! (Yes...2019!)

Fellow Tabby Cat, Barn Cat Petunia seeks help from cats around the world!  Her human, artist,
Alex Hubbell has obsessively painted her throughout the year. It’s time to broaden horizons for both animal and artist. Petunia’s calling all cat lovers to share photos and stories for the 2019 calendar. 

Photo Courtesy of Alex Hubbell

TWELVE OF THE BEST CAT STORIES WILL BE CHOSEN from all submissions. Alex will create an original artwork based on the winning kitties for each month in 2019. To get involved and submit your story visit us at on 

Kickstarter

"My cat, Petunia, may be the star in this year's calendar, but next year, I want to paint cats from around the world, and I need your help. Either you love cats, or you know someone who does, and you have a story to tell.  

So please, send me your cats, because I need 12 FRESH felines to be featured in next year’s edition.  If you send me a photo and a quick story with your backer survey, I will be painting a selection of your cats throughout this year.  You could be part of a Commissioned Cat Calendar for 2019!  So, please, join me! I can’t wait to see what stories you have to share."