Looking forward to two weeks of art

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Term has finally ended and I can forget about registration and drama-queen girls for 16 whole days!

I am looking forward to working on the two books that I hope to publish next year. It is hard to find the motivation to paint on these dark nights after a full day at school, but now I have no excuse.

This picture marks Pablo's debut on my annual Christmas card design. A whole year has flown by since someone abandoned him on my doorstep suffering from pneumonia. Hard to believe that someone could dump such a cute and adorable little character. He has certainly brought a lot of fun and joy into my life. Last Christmas, he was far too ill to appreciate everything that was going on around him, so this year, I am going to make sure that he is spoilt rotten.

Events

Book Launch, 13th November

Congratulations to my friend, Lynn Taylor and her toy mouse, Miss Mousey, who have been interviewed this month by new online Manchester based magazine, 'Natter'.

Lynn's second book featuring Miss Mousey will be launched on 13th November at a reception held at Urmston Library. The Lord and Lady Mayoress of Trafford will also be in attendance.

Sefton Arts Book Fair, Sunday 7th November

Tabby Cat Press will be attending the book fair which kicks off Sefton's first Writing Festival. The fair will celebrate the diversity and quality of independent publishers and book shops across the North West. Held at Crosby City Hall between 11am and 4pm, entrance is free. Come along and meet Tabby Cat Press's authors Lynn Taylor and Angela Cater who will be signing copies of their books.

Cheeky Charlie - a Cat of the Neighbourhood

A Lifetime of Cats: Cheeky Charlie

I was in the garden one autumn afternoon when a young cat streaked across the lawn and into my house without so much as glancing at me. This is very characteristic of the cat who came to be known as 'Cheeky Charlie' - he is very much independent and although he likes the occasional cuddle, affection is very much on his own terms and most days you are lucky if he will so much as acknowledge your existence.

Soon after, a young Scottish woman knocked at my door and asked if I had a tabby and white cat. It turned out that she lived across the road from me and over there Cheeky Charlie was known as 'Tabby', although he didn't really belong to her either.

For the next few years, he continued to spend half his time on my bed and half his time on hers. We became good friends and regularly cat sat for each other's multiple cat households. When she relocated to York, she chose to leave Charlie with me,

feeling that he belonged more to the neighbourhood than any individual person.

Indeed, I frequently see Charlie going in and out of other houses on the street, sometimes as far as half a mile away, and I often wonder just how many names he has. I feel honoured that he chooses to spend so much time with me.

Learn more about Charlie in my forthcoming book "A Lifetime of Cats", to be published in 2011.

Arthur the Wondercat (1983-2010)

A Lifetime of Cats: Arthur

It's hard to know where abouts in "A Lifetime of Cats" to include Arthur as her remarkable long life made her a contemporary of so many, and she outlived 14 others. Originally named "Diamond", she lived rough for several years before moving in with my family and being renamed "Arthur" after the famous Kattomeat cat.

Her years as a stray had taken their toll, and that well over a decade she battled against skin cancer. Unbeknown to us, she was already almost 25 years old when we made the difficult decision to have the tips of her ears amputated. She made a remarkable recovery and the operation certainly increased her life expectancy.

A great 'grumpy old woman', Arthur continued to climb trees, catch mice and entertain over 400 Facebook fans right up to the end. She finally lost her fight against the cancer in August 2010.

You will be able to learn much more about Arthur in my forthcoming art memorial book, "A Lifetime of Cats".

A Lifetime of Cats (The True Stories Behind the Art)

A Lifetime of Cats (The True Stories Behind the Art)

This work in progress will feature stories and paintings of every cat I have ever owned. I was just two years old when 'Uncle Ron' gave me my first kitten who became imaginatively known as 'Ginger'. Since then, apart from two years at art school, I have never been without a cat and I guess that Uncle Ron is largely to blame for my image as a 'Crazy Cat Lady'.

This portrait required a lot of artistic license as the original photo shows me sat outside in front of an unattractive brick wall and a badly peeling drainpipe. A google search gave me the 1960's wallpaper (I remember similar colours) and a familiar looking wall clock. I also changed the colours of my clothing so they don't clash so much. I wonder why, if it was so cold that I needed a thick hand-knitted jumper, why am I wearing shorts?

Ginger lived to be around 5 years old. He was a remarkably tolerant cat and put up with my early attempts of veterinary care when I covered him in sticking plasters.

There are many more cats to come, but I hope to publish in the first half of next year. Watch this space for more cats and more true cat tales.

Book Fairs - a great opportunity to network

Earlier this year, at the book launch of an author that I was publishing, I met another independent publisher who suggested that we pool resources and share a table at the Manchester Independent Book Fair. Unfortunately, we missed out this year on being able to get a stall, but I went down to the city centre at the weekend to see for myself what other were doing.

As well as a handful of book stalls, there were more arts and craft type of businesses there. Being the hottest day of the year so far, the square was buzzing with browsers.

I took the opportunity to introduce myself to a number of the book stall holders and was surprised and delighted with how candid they were about the success (or otherwise) of their stall and their willingness to answer questions about how they prepare for such events. I came away full of ideas and am now greatly looking forward to attending the Sefton Book Fair in November.

Busy, Busy....

Admittedly, I haven't blogged for a while, but that doesn't mean I've been idle - oh, no! Tabby Cat Press is due to publish two new picture books in late August. Right now, authors Giovanna Lagana and Lynn Taylor are eagerly/ anxiously awaiting the proof copies and I'm just as anxiously awaiting their reactions and hoping that I got the layout right and that there are no typos this time around. Both writers are a joy to work with. Giovanna gave me full artistic control in creating the illustrations for her Rickie Raccoon books. Those who read "Rickie the Raccoon Learns about Recycling" will notice that in "Rickie Raccoon Takes a Tour of the City", Rickie has developed much more of a bandit's mask. My first Rickie was based on images found from google searches, but by chance, I caught the last 10 minutes of a documentary and discovered a raccoon living in an animal sanctuary just 20 miles away. A phone call and a visit on the wettest windiest day imaginable, resulted in some blurry photos of 'Ben', a 17 year old grumpy raccoon with a definite mask!

"Gary, Charlotte's Goose" is Lynn Taylor's second book, this time aimed at a very young audience. It is a product of love and written especially for her niece, Charlotte, who is featured in the book. Lynn has also recorded a very catchy, sing-a-long song to accompany this short story.

As for me, summer means exhibitions. I have for once, completed my submission pieces for the UK Coloured Pencil Society well ahead of the deadline and even got them framed! I am now putting the finishing touches to my second offering for the Society of Feline Artists. After that, I can get back to producing some new greeting card designs, and working on two new books that I have planned for next Spring. Watch this space!

Meet the star of my new book

At the beginning of December, someone abandonned this little grey and white cat on my doorstep. He was suffering from pneumonia, and was initially suspected to also have heart disease. For a few days, I didn't expect him to survive, but with a whole month of vet visits, rest and care, he pulled through. Almost immediately, he then got an eye infection and we are now battling an allergy! But despite the stress and the expense, I can't thank the scum who dumped him enough. He's the best Christmas present I've ever had, the most adorable, loving personality and full of fun and joy. With his flat head and large Roman nose, I sought a Latin name, and my friend came up with 'Pablo'. Somehow it suits him.

It's not the first time that I've found and saved a dying cat. St Patrick's Day 1996, I found an old stray in the snow behind the dustbin. I carried him inside, laid him in front of the fire and soon the room was filled with the loudest purrs and snores. At that time, we already had three cats but our next-door-but-one neighbours/friends only had two. We pooled resources for his vet bills and agreed that he would live with them. 'Bruiser' however had other ideas and has soon as he was well enough, marched straight back round to me. He was forever grateful that I had saved his life and always keen to please. He was rather like the Corporal Jones (Dad's Army) of the cat world. If I shouted, "anyone for a flea-spray?", he would be the first in the queue, even though he'd be trembling with fear.

I have reason to thank Bruiser for saving me too. I went through a phase of having blackouts, absences and seizures, and more than once, it was Bruiser persistently headbutting me in the face that brought me back to consciousness.

"Brogan's Good Turns" (unless someone comes up with a better title for me) will be loosely based on these experiences. It tells the story of a cat who vows to repay his young mistress for saving his life. But what a cat considers a good turn is not necessarily what its owners would wish for ....

Earning without selling

Just before Christmas, I received a very nice cheque for £168. This came from an organisation called DACS who look after the interests of UK artists, illustrators and photographers.

If you are an artist or visual creator in the UK, you may qualify for a share of Payback royalties if your work has been published in books or magazines published in the UK or has been broadcast on certain UK television channels.

Payback royalties come from revenue generated through collective licensing schemes for example, when someone wishes to photocopy a page of a book which features your work.

To sign up for Payback, visit DACS