Christie, 2007, pastel, 14″ x 23″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

“YOU ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, PRECIOUS GIRL…” to take a chance on a kitty known to have litterbox issues, well, that’s just love, something Christie likely hadn’t gotten before. She blossomed, and gave back as much as she got.

. . . . . . .

Christie was brought to a veterinarian for treatment, but her owners never returned; apparently Christie wasn’t using the litter pan and they didn’t want to take her back. The veterinarian obtained ownership and put her up for adoption, and as the news spread that a kitty needed a home the story eventually reached her adoptive people. They met the charming and quiet girl, impressed by her affectionate nature, and were willing to take a chance with the litter pan issues. Her forever family discovered that Christie needed to be told frequently, at least once each day, that she was the most beautiful and precious girl and to have her lovely long orange fur massaged or she would become visibly depressed. Apparently she is no longer wanting for praise and affection, and a neatly folded towel still warm from the dryer and carefully placed on the kitchen counter doesn’t hurt, either.

. . . . . . .

About Christie’s adoption

Apparently in Christie’s case, love was the solution, and her people apparently knew it the moment they saw her.

“We knew that was an issue when we met her,” Christie’s adopter said, “but we just liked her so much we thought we’d give her a chance.”

Scruffy and his scratching post by the door.

Living with breed Persians for many years this couple was smitten with a rescue cat, Felix, after they lost their tabby Persian, Scout. Now they find rescue cats, always adults, to fill their home, usually two at a time, and they also care for a number of outdoor cats in style. At right is Scruffy, Christie’s house mate, using the scratching post right next to the window so he can pretend he’s in the outdoors.

The idea that they would be willing to bring a cat who had known litter box issues into their rather new and elegant home, and to work with the cat until the issue was resolved by simply finding the cat’s own needs is a testament to their belief in rescue and their skill with and sensitivity to animals.

“She did have a few accidents at first,” Christie’s adopter continued. “We gave her lots of attention when she was new so she’d know we loved her and she belonged here and she’d get used to the place. After all, she’d been abandoned.” The occasional errant litterbox non-use disappeared.

Christie gets her love session.

“I just discovered that she needs to be held and petted and massaged and told every day, more than once if possible, that she is the most wonderful, beautiful, precious, lovely girl, and we love her very much,” she said as she demonstrated the process of love with Christie on her lap when I met with her for the portrait, massaging her fingers through Christie’s thick fur as Christie flexed her front toes and slowly blinked her eyes, knowing that this sort of treatment was her divine right.

Eventually, people have to go to work or away on a vacation or just out somewhere for long days, such as during the holidays. “When she doesn’t get her quota of love, she will ‘miss’ the box,” her adopter said, “so we give Christie her love every day, but we understand if she misses.” Even the pet sitter indulged Christie when they were away.

But solving Christie’s issues wasn’t the reason for lots of love, and trying to resolve her issues wasn’t a reason for adoption; rather, it was the other way around. They simply knew when they met her that they loved her and they felt Christie would love them too. Finding the solution—frequent demonstrative love sessions—was a happy by-product of how much they loved her, and she loved them.

About Christie’s portrait

Christie, detail.

I’ve done several portraits for this couple, as you can see in Felix’s article, Big Kitty Love, and Christie was the more recent. By this time I no longer needed to review with them the process of considering the scene and posture they’d like in order to remember their kitty forever on their wall. When they called me, they knew exactly what they wanted, because nearly every day, they warmed a towel in the dryer, folded it neatly and, while still warm, placed it on the counter dividing the kitchen and dining area where they frequently sat after dinner. They had taken a number of photos in preparation and I took a number of close-ups of Christie as well, and happily got to their portrait.

They lost Christie in 2013, a few years after I’d painted this portrait, but for all the years she was with them Christie was the quiet and gentle boss, only asking for as much love as she could take, and giving back as much as her humans could take.

Some people react to this portrait in an interesting way, saying she looks sad, but it’s only because she’s lying down and her expression is relaxed, her eyes aren’t as round and alert as usual—and that’s where the portrait posture is personal to the humans of the cat. Her people know she’s extremely happy and see nothing else.

~~~

They lost Christie to renal failure a couple of years ago. She was loved to the end.

Here is Christie’s page in Great Rescues:

. . . . . . .

And here is the quote for Christie:

What greater gift than the love of a cat? ~ Charles Dickens

Read about other current Commissioned Portraits and Featured Artwork

I also feature artwork which has not been commissioned, especially my paintings of my own cats. If you’d like to read more about artwork as I develop it, about my current portraits and art assignments and even historic portraits and paintings, I feature commissioned portrait or other piece of artwork on Wednesday. Choose the categories featured artwork.

Take a look at other portraits and read other stories

Read articles on The Creative Cat featuring current and past commissioned portraits.

Read about how I create commissioned portraits.

Visit my website to see portraits of my cats, commissioned cats, commissioned dogs, people and a demonstration of how I put a portrait together from photos.

Download a Brochure

My brochure is an 8.5″ x 11″ two-page full-color PDF that half-folds when it’s all printed out, showing examples of portraits with an explanation of my process and basic costs.

Purchase a Gift Certificate

I offer gift certificates for portraits in any denomination beginning at $50.00, which is the basic cost of a small monochromatic portrait.

The certificate itself is 8.5″ x 11″ and features a collage of portrait images with the recipient’s and giver’s names, printed on parchment cover stock. The whole thing is packaged in a pocket folder and includes a brochure, a letter from me to the recipient and several business cards.The certificate package can be easily mailed or wrapped as a gift and shipped directly to your recipient.

I can also make it downloadable if you’re in a hurry.

Certificates are good for up to one year after issue.

You can purchase gift certificates here or from Portraits of Animals if you are also purchasing other animal-inspired merchandise.

I prefer to look over the work and price the portrait according to how much work will go into it, as described above, but you can either set a budget or get started by purchasing a certificate for yourself or as a gift.

How to Order

• “Certificate A” is for a minimum-size 8 x 10 black and white or monochromatic portrait with one subject.
• “Certificate B” is for a minimum-size 8 x 10 color portrait with one subject.
• Choose “A” or “B” depending on whether your portrait is black and white or color.
• If your portrait will be larger or have more subjects, add $50 or $100 or more to your certificate value with the drop-down below.

CERTIFICATE A $50.00

• Size: 8 x 10
• Subjects: One
• Color: black and white media such as charcoal, pencil, ink, or monochromatic media such as one color of pastel, watercolor, colored pencil, etc.
• Background or objects: none but shading or colored paper

CERTIFICATE B $100.00

• Size: 8 x 10
• Subjects: One
• Color: full color media such as pastel, watercolor, colored pencil, etc.
• Background or objects: none but a color or colored paper

Add to your certificate purchase

You can use the second drop down to add $50.00 or $100.00. For amounts over this we’d probably have a conversation and I can set up a custom certificate for your purchase.

Visit Portraits of Animals to purchase your certificate

©2011-2025 Bernadette E. Kazmarski | All Rights Reserved.

No content may be used without WRITTEN PERMISSION from the author.

Great Rescues Calendar and Great Rescues Day Book are published by Beauty of a Moment Publishing

Site designed by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Great Rescues Day Book, cover and two-page spread.

It’s not a calendar for one year, it’s a calendar for all years—with months and dates but no year—so that you can keep all your birthdays and anniversaries and other events all in one book—and enjoy my portraits of rescued cats and their stories as you do.

I’ve used a day book for over 25 years and have all the arrivals and, sadly, departures of each of my cats along with my friends’ weddings, my nieces’ births and the births of their children, the day I first registered a business name, all that sort of stuff, conveniently included in one place.

If you enjoy my rescue stories and my artwork, Great Rescues Day Book includes over a year’s worth of my portraits and rescue stories. The book also includes basic information about caring for cats and interesting cat facts, background on each portrait and on my artwork, all handy in a book you can also use to keep track of annual events—birthdays, anniversaries, events with your cats and other pets, and personal memories.

It’s based on my original Great Rescues Calendar and Gift Book and features a commissioned portrait of a rescued cat or cats along with their story each month. The month isn’t dated for one year, but has all the dates in a month for you to fill in the birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and social and personal events in your life to track in perpetuity, or at least until you fill up all the spaces.

June in Great Rescues Day Book.

On the left is the featured portrait with the kitty’s story, below that the monthly quote of something feline. On the right is the month name with enough lines for all possible dates in that month, and each month is headed with a cat- or pet-related theme. The holidays that are celebrated on a certain date are marked on that date, but ones that float, especially those Monday holidays, are explained at the bottom just to remind you that they also happen in that month. If animal-themed holidays are celebrated on a certain date, like Spay Day USA, they will also be included, but just the same if they are ones that float like Pet Memorial Sunday they will be explained at the bottom. The book is 8″ x 10″ and spiral-bound on the left edge, small enough to be easily carried around, large enough to have space to record things you’d like.

In the center are two extra portraits just for your enjoyment.

Fawn, and Amaretto, Simon and Merlin’s stories.

I had long wanted to share those stories and the lovely kitties I’d painted. This book shares the stories and art, and can do that for years to come.

Great Rescues Day Book is an award winner

Although Great Rescues Day Book is a 12-month book I am still featuring all 15 portraits of rescued cats that were included in the original Great Rescues Calendar, plus the portrait of my own Fawn which I consider my first portrait, ever. All the portraits as a collection won a Certificate of Excellence and a Muse Medallion in the 2011 Cat Writers’ Association Annual Communication Contest.

©2011-2025 Bernadette E. Kazmarski | All Rights Reserved.

No content may be used without WRITTEN PERMISSION from the author.

Great Rescues Calendar and Great Rescues Day Book are published by Beauty of a Moment Publishing

Site designed by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

“Trumpet and Jasper”, pastel, 24″ x 12″, 1993 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

CATS CAN COME FROM ANYWHERE and steal your heart and change your life. Trumpet and Jasper came from anonymous places but filled a woman’s heart, a woman who had never had a cat before and began rescuing because she loved them so much. And though she’d adopted these two in the mid 1970s and had lost them just before I did this portrait in 1993, when I saw her again in 2011 she still had a house full of rescued cats, wonderful, friendly, happy rescued cats, and a very happy human.

. . . . . . .

Jasper’s mom had grown up with a love of animals but had never had a pet of her own. When she moved to a pet-friendly apartment her secretary suggested she adopt a cat, advising that cats were low-maintenance. She visited the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society because in those days “that was where you went to get cats”, finding the tabby kitten with white paws.

Jasper, though a barn cat had apparently learned some manners and was “the perfect cat”, so perfect that two years later she decided to adopt another cat and give Jasper a companion. The little kitten she would name Trumpet, simply found on a roadside with his brother, was so affectionate, pure white with his little paws on the rim of the cage, and she found him irresistible. Jasper did not, but the three lived in harmony, both cats adoring their mom and being adored in return.

. . . . . . .

Yes, this portrait is from over 30 years ago! I can hardly believe it was that long ago, and I was so new to all this…And I was so happy to look up Trumpet and Jasper’s mom all these years later when I published my first Great Rescues book in 2011.

Trumpet and Jasper were but the first two cats this woman rescued. Volunteering for years at a shelter in Pittsburgh and living near a high-kill shelter in the next county, she continued to rescue cats and foster and adopt from shelters, also adopting a few rescued Pomeranians. When I visited her in 2011 there were beautiful cats everywhere, friendly and curious, leaving face rubs on my bags to take back to my cats, and stories of miraculous recoveries of ones brought in from the street; read Irina and Isis, Saved From the Flood.

Detail of Jasper’s face

This was one of the first portraits I painted when I was still using the paper color as the background of the portrait, a style I occasionally use today. But my pastels at the time didn’t always cover the paper as I had expected and I couldn’t layer the pastel as I do today, adding one color atop another and blending as needed with my fingers, then adding the final detail layer, that technique I’d developed that built dimension. Also because I couldn’t layer the pastel it would dust off the subject onto the paper outside the figures and needed to be repeatedly removed with a kneaded eraser or the paper just looked sloppy or dirty, depending on the color, and I lost the details I’d been working. Initially I began covering the background, then later discovered the more textured papers.

Knowing what I know now I am shocked I managed to get the soulful details in Jasper’s eyes and the detail and shadowing in Trumpet’s fur. This was in the days of 3.5″ x 5″ prints, so grasping the details could be tricky, though her photos were good. Jasper reminded me so much of my Stanley, still very much with me, and I used Stanley’s facial details, especially those eyes, for reference. It was especially important to get that one white mitten of a paw out in front while the other was folded in underneath because it was Jasper’s signature pose.

Detail of Trumpet’s face.

And of course I had my Sally, also still with me, to use as a guide for Trumpet’s white fur, even though she was long-haired and Trumpet short-haired. Still, the shadowing in the fur, the pink nose and ears and pea-green eyes, I was so glad they were willing models.

The two boys always slept on the braided rug shown in the portrait, but she didn’t have any images of them actually on it. I asked her to just give me a picture of it and I’d figure it out. The rug is fine, but I really don’t like the fuzzy sort of shading I did around it, just to keep them from looking as if they were floating in space, which is how it looked with just the oval rug, but that was all I could think of to do then. No one but me seems to notice that, but I smile at what I’ve learned from the experience of each and every portrait.

Trumpet and Jasper had passed before I did this portrait, but it was fairly recent, and when I showed her the finished portrait she burst into tears. That was the first time that had happened, but I understood completely; their similarities with Stanley and Sally made me think of their mortality as well the whole time I was working on it even though they each had many years left, and I was feeling pretty emotional too. I guessed the portrait was fairly accurate for that kind of a reaction. All these years and all these cats later, she still gets misty talking about Trumpet and Jasper.

“Trumpet and Jasper” is actually one of my very first portraits, from the first year I was in business painting portraits. From the portrait painting to the traveling around, the framing and realizing I’d be making a lot of friends through commissioned portraits, I had so much to learn. I treasure every lesson, every cat, and dog and bird, and human I’ve met along the way.

Here is Trumpet and Jasper’s page in Great Rescues:

Trumpet and Jasper’s page in “Great Rescues Day Book”

. . . . . . .

And here is the quote for Trumpet and Jasper:

Time spent with cats is never wasted. ~ May Sarton

Read about other current Commissioned Portraits and Featured Artwork

I also feature artwork which has not been commissioned, especially my paintings of my own cats. If you’d like to read more about artwork as I develop it, about my current portraits and art assignments and even historic portraits and paintings, I feature commissioned portrait or other piece of artwork on Wednesday. Choose the categories featured artwork.

Take a look at other portraits and read other stories

Read articles on The Creative Cat featuring current and past commissioned portraits.

Read about how I create commissioned portraits.

Visit my website to see portraits of my cats, commissioned cats, commissioned dogs, people and a demonstration of how I put a portrait together from photos.

Download a Brochure

My brochure is an 8.5″ x 11″ two-page full-color PDF that half-folds when it’s all printed out, showing examples of portraits with an explanation of my process and basic costs.

Purchase a Gift Certificate

I offer gift certificates for portraits in any denomination beginning at $50.00, which is the basic cost of a small monochromatic portrait.

The certificate itself is 8.5″ x 11″ and features a collage of portrait images with the recipient’s and giver’s names, printed on parchment cover stock. The whole thing is packaged in a pocket folder and includes a brochure, a letter from me to the recipient and several business cards.The certificate package can be easily mailed or wrapped as a gift and shipped directly to your recipient.

I can also make it downloadable if you’re in a hurry.

Certificates are good for up to one year after issue.

You can purchase gift certificates here or from Portraits of Animals if you are also purchasing other animal-inspired merchandise.

I prefer to look over the work and price the portrait according to how much work will go into it, as described above, but you can either set a budget or get started by purchasing a certificate for yourself or as a gift.

How to Order

• “Certificate A” is for a minimum-size 8 x 10 black and white or monochromatic portrait with one subject.
• “Certificate B” is for a minimum-size 8 x 10 color portrait with one subject.
• Choose “A” or “B” depending on whether your portrait is black and white or color.
• If your portrait will be larger or have more subjects, add $50 or $100 or more to your certificate value with the drop-down below.

CERTIFICATE A $50.00

• Size: 8 x 10
• Subjects: One
• Color: black and white media such as charcoal, pencil, ink, or monochromatic media such as one color of pastel, watercolor, colored pencil, etc.
• Background or objects: none but shading or colored paper

CERTIFICATE B $100.00

• Size: 8 x 10
• Subjects: One
• Color: full color media such as pastel, watercolor, colored pencil, etc.
• Background or objects: none but a color or colored paper

Add to your certificate purchase

You can use the second drop down to add $50.00 or $100.00. For amounts over this we’d probably have a conversation and I can set up a custom certificate for your purchase.

Visit Portraits of Animals to purchase your certificate

©2011-2025 Bernadette E. Kazmarski | All Rights Reserved.

No content may be used without WRITTEN PERMISSION from the author.

Great Rescues Calendar and Great Rescues Day Book are published by Beauty of a Moment Publishing

Site designed by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Augie, the August kitten.

In the middle of the night during a July thunderstorm many years ago a couple awoke to hear what sounded like a baby crying outside, and noticed their two cats Percy and Ebi on the windowsill intently watching something. They knew it had to be a cat, but on investigation outdoors that night and the next morning, no cat was found.

A week later on August 1, the husband, working outside in the summer afternoon, suddenly ran inside yelling to his wife, “There’s a kitten out here!”

The kitten, frightened, had run up into a neighbor’s truck and they and the neighbor tried all they could think of to lure her out, and then to gently prod her from her hiding place. Eventually it took a golf club to push her out of her spot and she jumped out, to be caught by the husband and wife and quickly taken to their home.

“She was so thin, and tiny, very tiny,” the woman said, “I thought she was maybe six weeks old, and she was covered with fleas.” The new kitten was bathed and fed and coddled, but went into a kennel in a separate room until she had an appointment for the veterinarian. Magically, in that time, she went from being a fostered rescued kitten to a member of the household. Rescued kittens have a way of doing that.

“The vet asked me what I was going to do with her and I said, ‘I’m keeping her!’, like, are you kidding?” she said. “I just loved her from the beginning.”

After all, she already had a name, their little August 1 surprise, as her rescuers had begun to call her Augie.

Augie remained tiny but was a whirlwind of play and affection, and she got along fine with her calico feline sisters, the elegant Percy and exacting Ebi. And Augie not only loved her feline sisters and her humans, she loved everyone who visited, and they all loved her. She sat on everyone’s lap, and purred in complete happiness.

“She was feisty—the Christmas tree was apparently set up for her!” Augie’s mom said. “Needless to say, we left the decorations off that first year.” Nobody minded—the tree had a very special decoration.

But underlying Augie’s small size was a serious heart condition no one had suspected. “The only sign I saw, in hindsight, was that sometimes after running up the steps her breathing would be labored,” her rescuer said, “but then she would be okay. And she was so active all the time and otherwise showed no symptoms at all.”

When Augie had been with them for two years, while they were at work during the day, she tragically suffered a blood clot that paralyzed her hind legs and left her in horrible pain.

“We ran her to the vet, but there was nothing they could do and she was in such pain…” her person trailed off.

“We were due to leave for Mexico the next day,” she added, leaving unspoken the implications of what might have happened if they had been away with a pet sitter caring for the cats when it happened. They did leave for the vacation, with their sadness and tears. “And a bird at the resort was screaming, I still remember that,” she finished.

Augie was only about two years old, but she had fit all she could into her brief time. And she had certainly found the right truck to get stuck in.

Remembering Augie, and a portrait

Soon after they’d lost Augie they decided to have a portrait done of the two calico girls and Augie, in memory, and in 2002 when I met them I could still see the lingering sadness at their loss. We’ve remained friends through the years and I’ve painted a few other portraits for the couple, and in 2018 they adopted two kittens from a litter I trapped and TNRd their mom they named Tux and Willie.

We talked about how sometimes, cats who need to be rescued choose the right people to find them, and those who end up having a very short life seem to make the most of the brief time they have, and leave the biggest pawprints on your heart. Certainly Augie did.

. . . . . .

A Great Rescue and Commissioned Portrait: Percy, Augie and Ebi

“Percy, Ebi and Augie”, pastel, 18″ x 13″, 2002 © B.E. Kazmarski

SOMETIMES THE SHORTEST lives and the smallest cats leave the biggest pawprints on your heart, and the generosity of people who adopt from shelters and rescue cats off the street is a lifetime habit.

. . . . . . .

A couple headed for the Animal Rescue League in Pittsburgh intending to adopt at least one cat, the husband finding the elegant Percy and the wife, seeing that all Ebi’s siblings had been adopted but not her, decided to adopt her as well, and the two calicos and two people lived happily for several years. In the middle of the night during a July thunderstorm a few years later they awoke to hear what sounded like a baby crying outside, Percy and Ebi on the windowsill, but no cat was found. A week later the husband ran inside—“There’s a kitten out here!”—and together they ran to the neighbor’s truck, eventually using a golf club to get the tiny terrified kitten out from inside the chassis. They took her home, bathed her and cleaned up the fleas, simply becoming attached to their little August 1 surprise who they named Augie.

. . . . . . .

Yesterday I told the rescue story of little Augie, the kitty in the center of this portrait, and a little about her sisters, Percy and Ebi. Today I’ll tell you more about them, and about their portrait.

Percy and Ebi as models, reference photo from customer.

The initial reason for wanting a portrait was to remember Augie, her brief life and the impact on her household, and in this of course they wanted to include their original girls Percy and Ebi, unrelated but adopted together from the Animal Rescue League in Pittsburgh. While the three girls were friends, especially Percy and Ebi, there were no photos of them all together so—twist my arm—I had to visit and we had to look at cat pictures to find the ones we wanted to use, and then I could take others of Percy and Ebi for the details I’d need.

One of the challenges with creating a grouping of three or more, especially when they are calicoes or torties or spotted or some coat pattern that is not symmetrical, is to determine the features you most want to remember, like tails or unique markings, and make sure to include them in the painting. And you have to get all those spots in the right places!

But you also have to position the subjects logically—if two cats really didn’t like each other or didn’t cuddle, it might feel wrong that they were tucked up together in their portrait. Of course, their humans may also want to imagine the moment they might have cuddled, it’s really all up to the humans there. Balancing their physical appearance with their positioning, especially with more than two, can be like a virtual Rubik’s Cube of juggling cats and details that is also pleasing to look at. In the end, we find a composition.

Ebi’s alert expression, reference photo from customer.

In this case, I am eternally glad for Photoshop, where I can scan the images, trim them out, and even add tails that weren’t in the original photos, change out facial expressions, move paws around, all sorts of neat things, and often provide as many ideas for my customer as necessary.

But M. and S., the kitties’ humans, had a few lovely and clear photos of Percy and Ebi, especially one with the position we decided we wanted to use. The girls were young here, so they also provided a photo of Ebi closer the age we wanted to depict her; Percy I knew I could work out her age from the photo I was given. And because tails are often the casualty in photography, either out of the picture or just not in view, as here, I also took photos of the girls’ tails when I visited, because, you know, it was very important to get that unique little orange spot on the end of Ebi’s tail, and Percy’s tail was just glorious, as most long-haired cats’ tails are, adding the random multiple colors.

Two photos of Augie, reference photos from the customer.

That image also easily accommodated adding Augie. We couldn’t have her lying down because she was so small in comparison to the other girls, but there were two good photos of her sitting upright. We did like the left-hand one because it showed her stripy side and her tail with the little white spot on the end. However, it was the expression in the other photo that was the most important, so typical, but impossible to work into her posture in the side view. It meant not showing too much of her in the portrait but she was tucked between her sisters and her most important feature, that little face, would be prominent.

And I had to be sure to maintain Percy’s dreamy expression (“she’s the ‘Queen Bee’ and we kind of compare her to Cindy Crawford” her mom said), and Ebi’s extremely alert expression as the little clown. We didn’t want a scenic background, just the cats, so I chose a neutral tone to match the tones in her home, and added in a number of other muted colors to give it interest, especially shades of green to enhance the reds in their coat colors.

Below is a detail image of the three faces and some of the background.

Detail area of their faces and background.

And just for good measure, here are detail images of just their faces, Augie, Percy and Ebi.

Augie, the August kitten.

Percy, the “Queen Bee”.

Ebi, always alert.

I not only love to get to know the stories of my subjects, I need to in order to be able to create a portrait I feel is accurate. Even if I meet them in person and take my own reference photos, I need to hear their person describe them. I want to capture not only the image, but also the relationship between the two. How else could I paint those faces? And I meet some truly wonderful people.

I also painted another portrait for this couple in 2003 of a dog they had adopted, Nelli. They had initially wanted to adopt both a dog and a cat but with their schedules didn’t feel a dog would be happy and so adopted Percy and Ebi. After losing Augie they felt the need for another animal companion and decided they could probably work with a dog. A friend was a registered breeder of English Labradors, only breeding her females three times before retiring them, spaying them and offering them for adoption. Nelli had a perfect personality for living with two cats who ruled the house, and for hanging out with humans. Nelli will have her own article some time, but for now, here is her portrait.

“Nelli”, 13″ x 17″, pastel, 2003 © B.E. Kazmarski

Also, last year I painted a portrait to be given as a gift to the rescuer’s sister, “Paige”. Her portrait is below, and you can read more about Paige in this post.

“Paige”, 11″ x 14″, pastel © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

. . . . . . .

Here is Percy, Augie and Ebi’s page in Great Rescues Day Book

Great Rescues Day Book for August.

. . . . . . .

And here is the quote for August:

A home without a cat—and a well-fed, well-petted and properly revered cat—may be a perfect home, perhaps, but how can it prove title?
~ Mark Twain, The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson, chap. 1

Read other stories in my Rescue Stories series.

~~~

Read about other current Commissioned Portraits and Featured Artwork

I also feature artwork which has not been commissioned, especially my paintings of my own cats. If you’d like to read more about artwork as I develop it, about my current portraits and art assignments and even historic portraits and paintings, I feature commissioned portrait or other piece of artwork on Wednesday. Choose the categories featured artwork.

Take a look at other portraits and read other stories

Read articles on The Creative Cat featuring current and past commissioned portraits.

Read about how I create commissioned portraits.

Commissioned Cat Portraits Samantha, pastel, 1994 © B.E. Kazmarski

Commissioned Dog Portraits Sophie and Ellie, pastel, 2009 © B.E. Kazmarski

Portraits of My Cats After Dinner Nap, pastel, 1996 © B.E. Kazmarski

Visit my website to see portraits of my cats, commissioned cats, commissioned dogs, people and a demonstration of how I put a portrait together from photos.

Download a Brochure

My Portraits Brochure

My brochure is an 8.5″ x 11″ two-page full-color PDF that half-folds when it’s all printed out, showing examples of portraits with an explanation of my process and basic costs.

Purchase a Gift Certificate

Sample Commissioned Portrait Certificate

I offer gift certificates for portraits in any denomination beginning at $50.00, which is the basic cost of a small monochromatic portrait.

The certificate itself is 8.5″ x 11″ and features a collage of portrait images with the recipient’s and giver’s names, printed on parchment cover stock. The whole thing is packaged in a pocket folder and includes a brochure, a letter from me to the recipient and several business cards.The certificate package can be easily mailed or wrapped as a gift and shipped directly to your recipient.

I can also make it downloadable if you’re in a hurry.

Certificates are good for up to one year after issue.

You can purchase gift certificates here or from Portraits of Animals if you are also purchasing other animal-inspired merchandise.

I prefer to look over the work and price the portrait according to how much work will go into it, as described above, but you can either set a budget or get started by purchasing a certificate for yourself or as a gift.

How to Order

• “Certificate A” is for a minimum-size 8 x 10 black and white or monochromatic portrait with one subject.
• “Certificate B” is for a minimum-size 8 x 10 color portrait with one subject.
• Choose “A” or “B” depending on whether your portrait is black and white or color.
• If your portrait will be larger or have more subjects, add $50 or $100 or more to your certificate value with the drop-down below.

CERTIFICATE A $50.00

• Size: 8 x 10
• Subjects: One
• Color: black and white media such as charcoal, pencil, ink, or monochromatic media such as one color of pastel, watercolor, colored pencil, etc.
• Background or objects: none but shading or colored paper

CERTIFICATE B $100.00

• Size: 8 x 10
• Subjects: One
• Color: full color media such as pastel, watercolor, colored pencil, etc.
• Background or objects: none but a color or colored paper

Go to Portraits of Animals to read more and order.

You only need to enter an address if it is different from the address I’ll receive when you order. These are often surprise gifts and need to be shipped away from the home address to make sure they are a surprise.

Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals

Fine Art • Photography • Gifts • Greeting Cards • Books • Commissioned Portraits & Artwork

Great Rescues Day Book:
Portraits, Rescue Stories, Holidays and Events, Essential Feline Information, All in One Book

Great Rescues Day Book

Each month features one of my commissioned portraits of a feline or felines and their rescue story along with a kitty quote on the left page, and on the right page the month name with enough lines for all possible dates, with standard holidays and animal-themed observances and events. Great Rescues also includes a mini cat-care book illustrated with my drawings including information on finding strays or orphaned kittens, adopting for the first time or caring for a geriatric cat, a list of household toxins and toxic plants, or helping stray and feral cats and beginning with TNR.

Each book includes also 10 sheets of my “22 Cats” decorative notepaper with a collage of all the portraits in black and white so you can make your own notes or write special notes to friends.

The portraits in this book, collected as a series, won both a Certificate of Excellence and a Muse Medallion in the 2011 Cat Writers’ Association Annual Communication Contest, as well as the 22 Cats Notepaper mentioned below.

Read more and order.

[signoff]

“Waiting for Mom”, pastel, 16″ x 23″, 1988 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Certainly, if you’ve been at all involved in animal rescue, you’ve heard and seen more bad than good. I’ve rescued and fostered since the mid-1980s and for all the cats I’ve taken in, and all the cats friends and associates have taken in, and shelters and private organizations, there are still too many more cats who need our help.

I first composed Great Rescues just before I began learning and practicing TNR, and just before I learned the behaviors that form cats’ decisions about their everyday lives and using that to trap and assess cats and foster and socialize dozens of litters of feral kittens who’d never had any experience with humans in their lives.

Sometimes we focus on the cats we can’t save, on bad things people do, and on what is wrong with the system. But creating portraits saved me from becoming jaded and surrendering under the weight of it all. Most of my portraits have been of rescued cats and dogs, commissioned by people who love them passionately and did and still do go out of their way to capture, house, heal, and love as many animals as they can. And as I learned more about feline behavior, and as more people joined in rescue, I learned more and more stories and my faith in people was sustained.

Take a little time to focus on what is right and what is good, on the things that make tears well in our eyes at the simple joy of a happy ending. Great Rescues features, in addition to my little Fawn, 15 commissioned portraits of cats along with the stories of their rescues which is as much about the people who did the good work as it is about the cats who ended up in loving forever homes. If the humans had not given their hearts I would never have met them or their cats, never would have heard the stories that held my faith in the love of humans for animals, and never had the pleasure of spending hours with their images, creating a lasting work.

And finally, I would never had the pleasure of sharing their images and stories with you.

©2011-2025 Bernadette E. Kazmarski | All Rights Reserved.

No content may be used without WRITTEN PERMISSION from the author.

Great Rescues Calendar and Great Rescues Day Book are published by Beauty of a Moment Publishing

Site designed by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

“22 Cats” Notepaper

This pattern is a collage of all 16 portraits—22 cats in all—included in Great Rescues Day Book.

Every calendar, daytimer, appointment book, and day book too has a section for notes, either blank pages or lined pages for lists or writing notes or whatever you might need paper for. I had been playing around with arranging the portraits in a collage on the back page of the book, but decided I wanted to keep each portrait separate for that presentation. But the idea of the collage stuck with me and I knew I’d end up using it somehow. Then I realized I could just add note paper to Great Rescues.

I decided on black and white for cost at the time, though full color printing is even less expensive today.

The popularity of the “22 Cats” design

I’ve used this collage in color on so many of the gift items I make, and naturally it’s one of the most popular designs especially among rescuers.

So when I design my reprint of Great Rescues Day Book I hope to do those pages in color.

About the gift items with “22 Cats”

You can find all the items I have with the “22 Cats” design on my ecommerce website, www.PortraitsOfAnimals.net. Scroll through “Handmade Gift Gallery.”

©2011-2025 Bernadette E. Kazmarski | All Rights Reserved.

No content may be used without WRITTEN PERMISSION from the author.

Great Rescues Calendar and Great Rescues Day Book are published by Beauty of a Moment Publishing

Site designed by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Bandit, pastel, 18” x 14”, 2004 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

“Bandit’s dad arrived home early from vacation and decided to visit the gym. Exiting the building after his workout he saw in the parking lot two women trying to coax a small black and white cat, four to six months old, from under the front of a car with offerings of tuna. The famished kitten finished his second plate but went back up into the wheel well where he was seeking sanctuary. When they left, Bandit’s dad went around to the side of the car. Bandit came down from the engine compartment, covered in grease and oil, looked his future human companion in the eye and let the man pick him up, trembling in his hands. “He needed a friend and I gained one of my best.”

I began unintentionally collecting these stories at the very beginning of my career as an animal portrait artist, simply because the pets people chose to commission me for a portrait were often the ones with the most dramatic stories who they had worked so hard to catch and rehabilitate, creating a close bond. Through the years when I’ve shown my portraits or people have browsed through my portfolio, I’ve repeated these stories over and over and wanted some way to more broadly share the stories with others who would be just as moved as me.

Artwork and story, equally important

When I considered the idea for Great Rescues, a book featuring the portraits of the many rescued felines I’ve painted, rather than a picture book I decided on a calendar, a useful item where viewers could enjoy one portrait each month. But that left out the stories told to me by those who had rescued those cats and commissioned the portraits. I designed the entire idea of artwork and story together, equally important on one page, in a perpetual calendar day book/gift book. It’s the stories, and background information in other sections, that make the idea complete.

I chose the selection of portraits and designed each page to stand out individually as you look through the calendar. In addition, each of the stories tells of cats from shelters and cats abandoned and saved, cats found inside car engines and cats reluctantly surrendered by people who could no longer care for them, but each one has a happy ending as a cherished companion in a loving home.

The February spread of pages featuring Bandit.

Each page individually so you can open and read them at a larger size.

Documenting my artwork and the stories

I’d been a graphic designer for nearly 30 years and relished the idea of working on a project “for myself”. I had carried this idea for over ten years and the design was strong in my mind. The stories practically wrote themselves with each new commission, and I have photographed every piece of artwork I’ve done when I completed it, so I thought I had everything in hand. I pulled out old paperwork and looked up people I hadn’t spoken to in a decade or more, each one of whom unhesitatingly said “yes” when I called to ask if I could include their portrait in this idea and quickly confirmed their rescue stories.

When I looked at my first proofs, however, I was disappointed to see that some of my older photos just weren’t up to printing standards and Bandit’s portrait was among them. I called back about half of the rescue families to ask if I could visit them to rephotograph their portrait. Each of them made time in their schedules and we had wonderful reunions reminiscing about the creation of their portrait, the cats they and I had lived with when we worked together, and I was overjoyed to meet their new feline, and sometimes canine, families because most of them were still actively rescuing.

Bandit’s portrait was a gift from Bandit’s mom to his dad after Bandit had passed, but it was a joy to meet his people again and meet their two shelter kitties, Atticus and Boo.

Atticus and Boo

©2011-2025 Bernadette E. Kazmarski | All Rights Reserved.

No content may be used without WRITTEN PERMISSION from the author.

Great Rescues Calendar and Great Rescues Day Book are published by Beauty of a Moment Publishing

Site designed by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Cooper, 1996, pastel, 22” x 17” © B. E. Kazmarski

CAN THE SUBJECT of a painting communicate through his image? One of the dearest stories from any of my portraits is the one of Cooper, a “first cat” who turned his people into rescuers but who left far too young though he was never far from the memories of his people and the other rescued felines in the house. When his best buddy Patches was ready to transition herself, she stepped up and touched Cooper’s face in the portrait as if to say, “I’ll be seeing you.” But first, he had some humans’ lives to change.

Cooper had literally been born in a barn but was adopted to a friend of the farm owner who cared deeply for his barn cats including the occasional drop-offs and strays. Cooper lived happily with his mom for three years as she moved from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia and became engaged to a man who was dangerously allergic to cats. Though they tried treatments his reaction was life-threatening and she carefully began the process of finding a home for her precious Cooper. The same farmer put her in contact with Cooper’s eventual mom, who had recently divorced and bought a house but resisted the idea of a pet. On a trip to Philly for a conference she met Cooper, enjoyed the visit, but said no. After a week alone in her house, she called the woman back and said she needed Cooper’s company. Cooper was chauffeured back across the state to his new forever home.

. . . . . . .

I usually keep in touch with the family for whom I’ve created a portrait. We’ve often done quite a bit of work determining the exact posture and scene for a portrait, gathering images and sometimes I paint purely from visualizing what my customer is describing. Also, nearly half my portraits have been memorials, created either after the animal has passed or around the time of its passing, and working out the details of the portrait include working through a certain portion of the family’s grief. And we share a lot of stories.

Besides that, we came together to do their portrait because we love animals, and that’s a natural friendship. I often hear news of the household, the arrivals of new animal companions and the passing of others, and stories of the household in general.

In the months after I finished Cooper’s portrait, I received a call from his family to tell me the sad news that they had lost Patches to complications from polyps she had developed in one ear. She had been adopted a year or so after Cooper had joined the woman in her home, another adult rescue kitty.

Patches and Cooper had been best buddies. When Cooper’s portrait was finished and we hung it over the couch, I met Patches and the other kitties they had rescued and adopted, inspired by their love of Cooper. Soon after, Patches showed signs of illness, but it took a number of tests to find the polyps. They were inoperable, and while her family eagerly tried a number of standard medical treatments as well as naturopathic treatments, all too soon she was losing her battle.

They told me that just days before Patches died, even though she was weak and declining quickly, one evening she climbed up on the back of the couch, sat up and gently touched the glass over Cooper’s face in the portrait, looked at him for a short while, then carefully got down.

“Was she saying, ‘There you are,’ or ‘I’m coming, I’ll see you soon,’ we don’t know,” they commented. “After that, she seemed to accept what was happening to her.”

Detail of Cooper’s face.

Animals communicate, pretty clearly too

Anyone who has lived with animals knows that they communicate with us as well as with each other, and that they experience the same range of emotions as we do, including love and grief.

When I create a piece of artwork, any subject, I not only work with the images I have and the medium I’ve chosen, but I also instill what I would be sensing if I was standing in that spot, and what I’m feeling about the subject, all as if I was experiencing it in that moment. When the subject is one of my animal portraits I also consider the relationship between the animal or animals and their family while I’m working, either through observation or from what they’ve related to me. In the end, I put away all the photos and put my heart into the finishing details, simply from intuition. Often I feel those final details come to me from the subject; in several cases they’ve been things there was no way I could have known.

The magic of Cooper’s portrait

In the case of Cooper’s portrait, I had received a call from someone saying he had one photo of his girlfriend’s cat who had passed the previous year and he’d like to give her a portrait of him for the anniversary of his passing and her birthday, which were close—and also a little over a month away. It was possible to paint and finish, mat and frame a portrait in that time, but as I still worked a day job with a lot of variables. I usually wouldn’t risk it, except that he had given the same photo to another artist who had not gotten the portrait done and still felt strongly that the portrait was what she needed to have.

This could be tricky—not only would I not be able to meet Cooper, nor would I be able to meet his person or see the household or have any other connection with my subject other than this one photo, and the portrait was fairly large, 22″ x 17″. But though he only had the one photo, he was generous with stories about Cooper and the household, and was very much emotionally invested in the project himself.

We did meet the deadline, and in that concentrated period I spent a good bit of time considering what he’d told me about Cooper and the household and made sure I painted it into the portrait.

Detail of paws and fur.

Cooper is sitting on the railing on a second-story screened porch and you can see the back yard acreage, nice and simple, but for the fuchsia plant. I actually love to paint plants and flowers, and this painting would not be the same if it was only Cooper on the railing. The colors, the random shapes and placement and colors of the fuchsia flowers and just its simple beauty all add to Cooper’s gentle personality.

Detail of flowers.

I know that spiritual depth was invested in the portrait itself, showing in a physical manner—I always say that I paint until my subjects look back at me—and perhaps in a spiritual manner as well, recognizable by both humans and animals. My families will tell me that is true, though I’ve often thought it was the confused musings of someone who stayed up too late and spent too much time alone with my painting. But this time, possibly communicating with another kitty, that feels magic to me.

. . . . . . .

Here is Cooper’s page in Great Rescues Day Book

Cooper’s page in Great Rescues

. . . . . . .

And here is the quote for July:

As anyone who has ever been around a cat for any length of time well knows cats have enormous patience with the limitations of the human kind. ~ Cleveland Amory

. . . . . . .

Simon Says…

Each family for whom I have created a portrait also has a continuing story and so much to tell, like this story of Patches and Cooper. This family has continued to rescue other cats, including Simon, and feeds a colony of community cats on their porch.

I had kept in touch with this couple for several years after the portrait was done, visiting their house on holidays and exchanging cards. In the years of taking care of my mother and brother I lost touch with many people, and these two were in that group, but losing touch doesn’t mean friends are gone forever. I began the original Great Rescues Calendar and Gift Book in the spring of 2011, just after my mother died; it was a project I’d originally envisioned in the late 90s and planned to begin when I began working at home in 2000, but that was when my brother had a traumatic brain injury and my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer and family needs took precedence over my free time creative projects. But that spring when I had some of that time back, when I planned which portraits I wanted to use, Cooper was undoubtedly among them. Knowing I’d have to rephotograph the portrait as well as simply say hello to the family, I dug out my box of old, old paperwork and called the number and heard the still-familiar voice of the man who had initially called me for Cooper’s portrait. We were immediately visiting once again. I always say this is one of the best gifts of my love of painting portraits of animals—meeting the animals and sharing their lives, and finding new friends I otherwise would never have known.

Read other stories in my Rescue Stories series on The Creative Cat, and other stories from Great Rescues Day Book here on Great Rescues Day Book.

I’m heading for a reprint of this book, so help me with a clearance of the remaining books.

I have a dozen books left that regularly sell for $20 including shipping, handling and taxes. I’ve cut that price in half so the clearance sales can help finance the reprint. I hope to have the reprint ready for September. This clearance is only available here, on my website dedicated to this book. You can order some at the clearance price right below.

And someday soon a new Great Rescues Day Book!

I designed and published the original calendar in 2011, including portraits of rescued cats I’d done up to that point. I have enough new portraits to be able to do at least one new volume. I don’t think I can have that ready this year, but I’m going to begin designing it, because, why not?

©2011-2025 Bernadette E. Kazmarski | All Rights Reserved.

No content may be used without WRITTEN PERMISSION from the author.

Great Rescues Calendar and Great Rescues Day Book are published by Beauty of a Moment Publishing

Site designed by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Great Rescues Day Book Fun Stuff

How’s this for fun?

TEN INTERESTING FACTS and there are so many more…

1. Your cat’s nose print is as unique as one of your fingerprints.
2. A cat can jump 5 to 7 times the height of its tail.
3. A group of cats is called a “clowder”, a group of kittens is called a “kindle” (but can we read on them?).
4. A cat’s eyes are always blue at birth and may not change to their final color for months.
5. An adult cat has four rows of whiskers on each side and 30 teeth.
6. Cats cannot taste sweets because of an incomplete gene.
7. People who would read this calendar are probably ailurophiles, or lovers of cats, but those who are afraid of cats are called ailurophobes and likely will not.
8. Cats can sprint at about 30 miles per hour, but aren’t meant for long-distance running.
9. Cats are capable of vocalizing about 100 different sounds, dogs about 10.
10. Coat patterns in big and small cats seem to be derived from an evolutionary response to habitat.

The “Resources” section in Great Rescues Day Book

These “Ten Interesting Facts” are included in the “Resources” section of Great Rescues Day Book.

Not just a calendar with cat artwork and stories, when I first redesigned Great Rescues I included the “Resources” section in the back with an eye to the next decade, not just the next year, useful over time to those who loved and lived with cats. That section includes information about cats, cat health, behavior and care, which I’d been writing about for at least 20 years, along with caring for my evolving family of felines and fosters with the guidance of amazing veterinarians who taught me so much.

That section is 12 pages long and most of the information is timeless. And some of it is fun, though most of it is serious and informative.

RESOURCES

Below is a table of contents for what’s in the “Resources” section

Basic Feline Wellness

Here’s a sample of what’s included in “Basic Feline Wellness”:

Really Basic Things Your Cat Needs

• • Quality cat food with a high level of meat-based protein and fat, as few carbohydrates as possible; cats are “obligate carnivores” meaning they have to eat meat to obtain the nutrients their bodies need to grow and sustain.
  • Feed your cat away from any high-traffic areas and in a separate room from the litterbox.
  • Fresh, clean, cool water should be available at all times, possibly even in several places; changing once a day is best. Wash food and water bowls daily.
  • Find a litter and a litterbox you and your cat can agree on. Place it away from a high-traffic area; use one litterbox per cat, plus one box. Scoop daily, wash and change litter weekly and wipe with a 1:10 bleach/water solution to kill any diseases or parasites that may be present, rinse and dry before refilling.
  • Follow recommendations for veterinary care by getting your cat a wellness exam at least once a year, more often as kitten or as senior cat.
  • Get to know your cat’s eating, sleeping and activity habits—cats hide illness very well and often a change in habits is the only way you know something is wrong.
  • Play with your cat and take some time for affection every day. Often this is the best defense against behavior problems, besides, it’s fun.
  • Keep your cat free of fleas and other parasites to maintain your cat’s health and your own.
  • Spay or neuter your cat as soon as possible, 4 pounds or 4 months is a good rule to follow.

The “Basic Feline Wellness” section also has information on:

Kittens

Seniors

Here is the remainder of the table of contents:

Health Concerns

• • When to take your cat to the veterinarian
  • When to run with your cat to the emergency clinic including both physical symptoms and behavioral symptoms

When you cat needs to go to an emergency hospital.

Household Toxins and Poisonous Plants

• • Toxic substances around the house
  • Cleaning products
  • Essential oils, potpourri and such
  • Poisonous plants
  • More information on plants with links

Life Stages of Cats and Human Equivalents

Spay and Neuter

• • Pediatric spay and neuter
  • Feline breast cancer
  • My cat is already expecting
  • Where to find information on low-cost spay and neuter

Strays and Ferals, TNR

Pet Loss

• • Support groups
  • Internet discussion groups
  • Websites and hotlines

Just Some Fun Stuff

Organizations Referenced in the Calendar

Books

Other Ways You Can Help Cats and Other Animals

Another page in the “Resources” section.

Some fun stuff and some serious stuff so that you have information at your fingertips about what you cat needs—even in the middle of the night—and you can take the actions you need.

©2011-2025 Bernadette E. Kazmarski | All Rights Reserved.

No content may be used without WRITTEN PERMISSION from the author.

Great Rescues Calendar and Great Rescues Day Book are published by Beauty of a Moment Publishing

Site designed by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Two watercolor portraits of Sherman.

For this week’s rescue story I’m sharing my June portrait from Great Rescues Day Book along with a clearance, a reprint and possibly a new volume of “great rescues” at the bottom of the post.

. . . . . . .

IF YOU’LL ONLY BE ABLE to share your life with one cat, then finding a cat like Sherman is truly finding the cat of a lifetime. And their attachment was so profound they couldn’t decide on one final image of Sherman, but decided to go for two.

. . . . . . .

Sherman’s family had not lived with any cats prior to Sherman, and have adopted none since, in fact, they are allergic to cats. Yet when an animal-loving friend needed to move from Pennsylvania to Texas and wanted to place as many as possible of her cats and dogs in homes before she left (taking the “unadoptables” with her), they met Sherman and decided to take him home. He was a full-bred ruddy Abyssinian with the gregarious personality and intuitive nature of the breed and adapted immediately, managing their schedules and greeting the neighbors.

. . . . . . .

“Sherman on the Patio”, watercolor, 8″ x 8″, 1994 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Sherman is one of the rescued cats featured in my Great Rescues Day Book, and here is his story.

Sherman had it all planned

When their friends with four children and a house full of animals needed to move, they thought it would be best if they found homes for as many of their cats and dogs as possible rather than make them endure the long drive and resettle. They had a number of animals they considered “unadoptable” because of illness, age or temperament, and those would travel with them. They would try to find homes for as many of the others before they left, but take any who hadn’t been adopted.

“We went to visit them and we came home with a cat!” said Rose. “The last time we visited they told us they wanted us to take Sherman.”

Sherman apparently had an idea what was going on. “I didn’t really want to adopt a cat, but Sherman knew Lou would be easier to work on so he started rubbing around Lou’s legs,” Rose recalled. Then Sherman wrapped himself around Lou and wouldn’t let go. Of course she couldn’t say no, and of course she fell in love with him too.

“We were totally unprepared,” they said. “Of course we had nothing for a cat. We don’t remember what they gave us, a litterbox and some food maybe, I’m not even sure if we had a carrier.” They drove 40 miles with him sleeping in the back seat until he started wandering around the car, even trying to get under the gas pedal, but they were almost home.

Never had pets, but Sherman made up for that

Rose never had a pet of her own, though her sister had had a cat growing up, but Lou never had a dog or a cat ever in his life. What made Sherman’s owner approach these two as his adoptive family? Knowing them myself I would think it was something about their kind and gentle natures. Sherman probably knew he could easily manipulate them. It was meant to be.

Just Sherman, so you can see the details.

Sherman was eight years old then, but was so friendly and outgoing he sometimes seemed “like a puppy.” “He adapted right away,” Rose said. “It was as if he’d always been here.” He hadn’t been just manipulating Lou, though, Sherman just fell in love with Lou, and began the continuing habit of sleeping on Lou’s pillow.

This was when the allergies surfaced. Lou had always had some allergies and symptoms of asthma, but never having had a pet had no idea what the effect would be.

“The doctor said I had to get rid of the cat. I told the doctor, ‘No way, I’m not getting rid of the cat.’ The doctor said keep him out of the bedroom, I said ‘No way.’”

So Sherman always got his way. It was because they loved him so much.

They were amazed at some of his abilities. “He could read your mind, he knew how you felt and what you wanted to do,” said Rose.

Lou worked night turn, when Sherman decided Lou had slept enough he would pull Lou’s eyelids open.

“He loved everyone,” said Lou. “When we would take walks, no leash or anything, it wasn’t necessary, he would walk along with me, go up to greet people, and sometimes sit to wait for people to walk up to him,” he continued. “On a day when a lot of people were around or out in their yards the walk would take a long time, especially when there would be an open garage door and he would have to go and investigate until he was satisfied.” Of course, Lou would patiently wait on the sidewalk until Sherman was done with his investigation.

Detail of the hydrangeas on the patio.

Rose recalled that when someone came to do an energy audit of their house, after the tour they settled down at the dining room table to talk over the findings. The guy had a beard, and Sherman started grooming this guy’s beard.

“Lou has a beard, and Sherman groomed his beard too,” Rose said. “I think Sherman thought Lou was a big cat.”

And though most of the memories of Sherman involve his relationship with Lou, Rose had her time with Sherman as well. “He was very comforting because he was so soft to touch. Sherman had a silky coat, it looked soft and it was soft,” she remembered

Sherman lived to be 18, a good ten years with a very special cat.

After they lost Sherman, Lou “realized how much breathing he had been missing”, and they both decided another cat was probably not a good idea.

“We see cats and we talk about it, but he’s allergic. He’s not so allergic that he can’t visit someone with pets, some he’s more allergic to than others,” Rose explained.

Sherman is still a big influence, and they still use his name whenever possible.

Detail of leaf litter.

Sherman’s portrait set was one of the ones I needed to rephotograph in order to print the calendar. They are small, 8” x 8” each, and I had painted them in 1994 (the calendar says 1996, but I had the wrong date on my paperwork from way back then). The photos I took then were fine to trim down and add to my portfolio book, but enlarging them only lost detail and the colors were impossible to adjust. The lens I had then made focusing on something small very difficult; shortly after that I finally purchased a high-quality scanner and used that for anything small enough to fit in the scanner bed.

And even when I visited to pick up the portraits—I needed to bring them home to photograph them—the stories continued, and Lou was concerned about how long Sherman’s portraits would be away.

Creating the portraits, and why there were two

“Sherman at the Door”, watercolor, 8″ x 8″, 1994 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Rose and I worked together for several years in the 90s, and in addition to her day job Rose is herself a textile artist, so though we worked in different departments we would sometimes discuss local art events, like the Three Rivers Arts Festival, and what we’d seen there and were working on. Later, when I needed to learn about cold-set dyes and purchasing blank t-shirts for my Tortie Girls prints, she would also be the person to explain the different types of fabric dyes and guide me to Dharma Trading Company where I buy my blank shirts and dyes.

Remembering Lou’s relationship with Sherman, she decided a couple of years after they had lost Sherman she’d get Lou a portrait of him that he could keep forever. As we discussed Sherman’s portrait and looked at photos considering postures and settings, we initially decided on the image one of him outside on the patio since they had spent much time out there and it was simply a nice image, appealing to both of us. I was new to watercolor and couldn’t wait to start exploring the way fur worked in watercolor, though I knew it couldn’t be too detailed at that size. I was also excited about the plants, the leaf litter, even the concrete—I had painted very little besides cats to that point in any medium, especially watercolor, and I was studying the photo and planning my colors and brushes.

Yet she had mentioned more than once him sitting on the chair in front of the door, and knew that was a very special memory for Lou.

“He knew when the kids would be coming home from school, and would sit at the top of the steps (outdoors) to greet them,” both Rose and Lou agreed, “and then he’d be back in the house getting involved in whatever we were doing.” He also waited for Lou to come home from work, sitting on a chair which Rose had placed in front of the screen door.

Detail of Sherman on the chair.

Sherman at the door was a big, strong memory, but simply not as nice to look at as the one on the patio, yet the one on the patio wouldn’t serve all on its own, and I knew this from trying to choose images for portraits of my own cats.

I suggested two small portraits and she liked the idea so we didn’t have to choose one and eliminate the other, risking a regret later, and the possibilities of framing and hanging them appealed to her as well.

However, she didn’t have a photo of Sherman at the door. Well, I rarely work from one photo, and often add things that people have described to me, painted in backgrounds from photos I have, imagined what an animal looked like before the cataracts or the amputated leg, or tried to visualize an animal from the one and only photo available that shows the animal very small, blurry, and the flash washing out its face. If I have enough information, I can visualize the rest. It’s a different sort of a challenge to create a portrait from scratch.

We discussed the type of screen door and chairs they’d had, the house was pale yellow brick, and I took it from there.

Detail of the door, the grille, handle and bricks.

I thought of everything familiar about an old metal screen door, the grille, the door handle, the very bricks around the door. As much as I was excited about the foliage in the garden and my love of growing things, I also love architectural details, even simple, humble ones like the old screen door with its curling tendrils and spiral center. I put in all I had ever studied while sitting on the front or back porch of so many houses. While everyone else talked, I studied the details. And as I painted and used the natural texture of the watercolor paper to create the texture of the screen in the door, I also played around with adding—gasp—non-representational colors in the shadows to liven them up! I had read that somewhere, and seen that in some paintings I’d studied as well.

I love these little portraits. They still touch my heart, and I’m so glad that an artist friend honored me by asking for my interpretation of their beloved cat. A few years later her sister commissioned me for a portrait of another beloved cat, Herbie.

. . . . . . .

Here is Sherman’s page in Great Rescues Day Book

June in Great Rescues Day Book.

. . . . . . .

And the June quote:

You can’t help that. We’re all mad here. ~ The Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland

Read other stories in my Rescue Stories series on The Creative Cat, and other stories from Great Rescues Day Book here on Great Rescues Day Book.

I’m heading for a reprint of this book, so help me with a clearance of the remaining books.

I have a dozen books left that regularly sell for $20 including shipping, handling and taxes. I’ve cut that price in half so the clearance sales can help finance the reprint. I hope to have the reprint ready for September. This clearance is only available here, on my website dedicated to this book. You can order some at the clearance price right below.

And someday soon a new Great Rescues Day Book!

I designed and published the original calendar in 2011, including portraits of rescued cats I’d done up to that point. I have enough new portraits to be able to do at least one new volume. I don’t think I can have that ready this year, but I’m going to begin designing it, because, why not?

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Great Rescues Calendar and Great Rescues Day Book are published by Beauty of a Moment Publishing

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