Holiday Open House Studio Sale and Cat Rescue Calendar

The Creative Cat Preview E-newsletter, December 2017

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Holiday Open House Studio Sale
and Pittsburgh C.A.T. 2018 Rescue Calendar

Having my car in repairs for two months this autumn put a big damper on getting to gift shows and events for the holidays so I’m making up for it by setting it all up in my house for this one weekend.

Holiday Open House Studio Sale

art and photography on the walls plus handmade gift items

December 16 and 17, 2017
Noon to 5:00 p.m.

315 Sixth Avenue, Carnegie, PA 15106

I’ll have my artwork and photography from my recent and past shows up on the walls and some in bins, lots of prints of artwork and photos, small framed items, and all the handmade gift items I have on hand.

And it’s all 25% off!

Because I build shipping and handling and/or the cost of attending an event into the cost of my products, you are saving me the trouble by coming to my house! I’ll have some snacks and light refreshments, and I’d love an RSVP if you can so I can plan.

And you get to meet my feline family! They have been bored with me lately and will be ready for company. We look forward to seeing you.

And if you're not local and can't make it...
...don't worry, I have something for you too, after this weekend!

Rescue, Foster, Rehome, Repeat 2018
Pittsburgh C.A.T. 2018 Calendar

If you’ve been following me long enough, you’ll know that Basil and Bella were both rescued and fostered by me through the efforts of Pittsburgh C.A.T. Hamlet and his sister Ophelia, too, are Pittsburgh C.A.T. cats. Charm and her adorable children were as well, and Alvina, Simon and Theodore. They each came to my household in different ways, with different stories and different needs, but all were rescued and given a new chance at a life in a loving home because of Pittsburgh C.A.T.

Pittsburgh C.A.T. has fostered and found loving forever homes for almost 500 rescued kittens and cats every year from TNR projects, local shelters and right off streets, reducing the population of homeless cats in the Pittsburgh area by thousands each year and spreading education about spay and neuter, feline care and behavior and compassion.

Many of those rescued cats come in with dire medical need from abuse or accidents, chronic or acute illnesses, and near starvation. Healing all those cats and kittens, feeding them and spaying and neutering, keeping up with vaccines and microchips, does not come cheap, but it’s the best way to rescue cats. Pittsburgh C.A.T. is not a 501c3 and can’t apply for grants, so sales of this calendar will help pay for lots of medical care. Help Pittsburgh C.A.T. finish off 2017 and get ready for 2018!

Calendars cost $25.00 each including shipping and handling. After costs Pittsburgh C.A.T. receives $10.00 from every calendar sold, and if you’re local and want to pick it up, they’ll get an extra $5.00! Click here to read more and order.

Here is a sample story:

QUICK THINKING AND COMPASSION: “THE WEED WACKER KITTENS”

Meet McGhee, Parker, Violet, Thistle and Sparrow, the “weed wacker kittens”. That may sound foreboding, but it all ends well. Thanks to compassion and the commitment of volunteer rescuers they are alive and healthy and their mom will never have to worry about kittens again.

A worker was clearing overgrowth on a property to be renovated and found a litter of newborn kittens; seeing he’d accidentally injured them he took them immediately to the management office. The manager knew of us and contacted us right away. Because a few of the kittens were injured they could not be left until their mom came back, but got medical attention and went to a bottle feeder.

But mom was not to be left behind—she would miss her kittens, they needed her nurturing, and she could still reproduce. Rescuers set traps and watched for two days to find her. It was pretty clear she was the tortie who wandered around crying to break your heart even when rescuers showed her her kittens, until she went into the trap.

She was reunited and was a great mom but had no interest at all in being a housecat so was spayed and released when kittens were eight weeks old.

All the kittens survived, but Violet did lose her right ear, Parker was unintentionally ear-tipped, and Sparrow lost an eye. The worker whose quick decision to get care for them is thrilled they all survived, and the manager has joined Pittsburgh C.A.T. to transport fosters wherever they need to go.

In This Issue
Your Coupon Code for December 2017
Two New Feline Paintings
Original Artwork
Holiday Cards
Portrait Certificates as Gifts
Featured Artwork and Desktop Calendar
Articles on The Creative Cat

Your Coupon Code for December 2017
Give someone you love a special gift this holiday season.
Now through the Winter Solstice, all original art is 25% off with my "Splendor of Autumn" sale. Use code SPLENDOROFAUTUMN25.

Two New Feline Paintings

Mimi in the Laundry Shade, watercolor, 6″ x 6″

My colorful dresses and skirts moving gently in the breeze, the bricks in the patio outside my basement door, the bright sun and shadows, Mimi relaxing on the concrete step in the shade of the laundry. Just a nice memory of a simple summer morning. The original is sold, but prints and greeting cards are available. Read more on The Creative Cat.

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Without newsletters September and October I didn't let you know about the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge in September, the same as the one in January. I never get the chance to paint every day, but every other day is fine with me. I’d planned a few more feline paintings but I’m more than pleased with the two I did paint. One was from a recent photo, and one from many years ago. You can read more about this challenge on Portraits of Animals and visit the page of Creative Challenges.

Late Winter Sunbath, pastel, 6.5 x 9.5

I’d always wanted to paint this photo of my orange boy, Allegro. I took the photo in 1993 or 1994, and it’s been on my mind all this time. This painting is still available, and all originals are 25% off until the Winter Solstice. Read more on The Creative Cat.

Purchasing Original Artwork

Can I sell them? Sometimes it takes me a while to consider letting them go, but I need to in order to create new things, and I don't create my art only for me but for all others to enjoy.

I know the idea of purchasing a piece of original art is a pretty serious consideration, and it's not an amount of money most people would spend lightly or a purchase often considered. But if you enjoy looking at images of my art, I can tell you that seeing the original of any artwork is an entirely different experience, and much better than looking at a print. All originals are included, and if you are familiar with my daily sketches you'll know that some are quite small, and it's not limited to feline art, either. If you've ever thought you'd like to own one of my large original paintings or even a daily sketch for yourself or as a gift to anyone else, a 25% discount makes it a little more affordable.

The originals are available for nearly all my daily sketches* and many of my larger portraits. All art is matted and framed and shipping is included so the price you see is what you pay. I have a gallery of just Available Original Art for you to browse so you don't need to check into each listing. Below is a daily sketch I custom framed for a customer.

Holiday Cards

But other holidays are close behind and I also have holiday greetings to choose from on Portraits of Animals. While you browse gift items you can also browse greeting cards, some of them hand-printed and unique and very special.

Because I know many followers are not only cat lovers but love all animals your discounts are not limited to feline-themed cards and merchandise but to nearly everything on my website.

Portrait Certificates as Gifts

Is there an animal lover on your list who has every cat or dog-themed t-shirt and handbag, and even their pets have every toy they can use for the rest of their natural lives? Consider a Commissioned Portrait Gift Certificate. Whether it’s for someone else or yourself, a custom portrait is different from a professional photograph because we can create the scene that you remember even if you never had the chance to photograph it. Your household of animal companions can be grouped in a natural setting even if their lives didn’t overlap.

To see sample portraits visit the Commissioned Portraits page on Portraits of Animals and go to the portrait certificate page to read more about purchasing a certificate as a gift.

Featured Artwork and Desktop Calendar

In 2002 I was casting about for a holiday card image, saw little Kelly quietly looking out the window as she often did; silently so not to startle her I grabbed my pastels and a piece of my “experimental” drawing paper and got to work, standing right in the middle of the room to quickly capture the essence of the scene I visualized in that instant: the pastel winter light different in each pane of the window, the view softened by falling snow, the muted shadows inside, the softness of the bright overcast snow light. But it was all inspired by Kelly’s particular quiet and contemplative nature, I just loved her little shape, her petite figure in the midst of that vast light, and even then I remembered her early history living outdoors with a stray/feral colony; I had always wondered, in these moments, if she thought about those experiences that had so marked her cheerful and affectionate nature with timidity. For me, this has always been a portrait of the Kelly I knew who lived in her happy world with me and her feline siblings, but with part of her still in that other life, and separate from me. Who would know that in one quick visual and a 15-minute sketch I would be able to capture all that? But as always, I’m glad I took the time, and now I have this wonderful memory.

This sketch is one of the choices for the New Member Thank You Print for October when you register for an account on Portraits of Animals. Click the image to download your December desktop wallpaper and calenda.

Articles on The Creative Cat

You may be a regular reader of The Creative Cat already, but if you're not this is where you read my rescue stories and book reviews, articles on feline and animal health and safety, fostering, pet loss, backyard wildlife habitats and more, and first see my latest portraits, art and photos that later appear on Portraits of Animals as prints, greeting cards, gift items and more.

Witness to a Rescue

The actions in this story occurred in late November, right around Thanksgiving, so I always share it some time during Thanksgiving week. It's a sweet story I'd carried with me for nearly 20 years and I'm not sure of the exact year, probably 1993 or 1994. It's included in my series of rescue stories even though the rescue is neither mine nor is the cat one who came to live with me, but I still feel very connected for having witnessed it, and knowing that small kindnesses like this happen every day, everywhere, and need to be noted.

At the end you'll read more about the story itself and the illustrations. I also have it available for Kindle and various other e-readers, and I also have an audio version that I recorded so you can listen to it too! Please enjoy this act of kindness in any form you please.

A few popular recent articles include: