Sofa Blog

Thu 27 Aug 2009

Simon's Cat - Fly Guy

Wonderful cat animations from Simon's Cat.

Fri 20 Aug 2009

SOFA 2009

It's that time of year again. This is the invite/catalogue for the 2009 Society Of Feline Artists show at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in London. It runs for three weeks from the 28th of August to the 18th of September. See you there.

Tue 16 June 2009

Pollyanna Pickering accepts role as patron of Cats in Need

Pollyanna is honoured to have accepted the role of patron of charity ‘Cats in Need’.  Although Pollyanna is probably better known for her work with the big cats, she is pleased to be able to support this British charity which rescues and re-homes domestic cats.

Cats in Need aim to relieve the suffering and distress of cats and kittens who are in need of care, to provide a neutering service for cats who’s owners are unable to pay for such services, and to educate the public in the correct ways of caring for cats and kittens.

The charity also maintains a feral cat group which is neutered and kept disease free and a small group of cats who need special care are kept in a permanent foster home.

Her first role as patron was to speak at the society’s AGM – she told a sell-out audience of members and guests about her AFC flag expedition into Bhutan to paint Himalayan Wildlife. Pollyanna commented “I am proud to have been asked to lend my name to Cats in Need. They carry out wonderful work in helping and rehoming neglected and abandoned cats, working tirelessly and compassionately to help relieve suffering.”

Cats in Need are currently looking for volunteers – for further information contact vartyJandJ@aol.com.

wed 29 July 2009

Birmingham Cats Protection Adoption Centre Need Help

I am writing to you as a fundraiser for Birmingham Cats Protection Adoption Centre. We are planning to hold a raffle on our annual open day, to be held this year on Sunday 13th September, to raise vital funds for our shelter. We have been hit very hard this year due to the economic climate - many more people being forced to give up their pets and some are simply being abandoned. Unfortunately we have also found that less people are willing to take on a new cat when their future circumstances are uncertain - making our job harder than ever.

I thought it would be a wonderful prize for our open day to offer a portrait of the lucky winner's cat. Do you know of any artist who might be able to offer this prize to our charity? I really think it would be a very sought-after prize and would generate a lot of money for our shelter.

In return for your generosity we will send you a personal invitation to attend our open day along with a free refreshments voucher, giving you the chance to see the cats you will be helping. We will do our very best to help the artist and will happily display any leaflets or special offers at our event, which normally attracts 900-1,000 people. The raffle will also be advertised before the event, and they would be personally thanked as a sponsor on all adverts.

If you require any more information please do not hesitate to contact me at the above address or email maxinehinks@googlemail.com.

Tue 16 June 2009

7th Summer Exhibition at Denbies

Stephanie Manchipp and her husband Ben will be exhibiting at their 7th Summer Exhibition 22 June ­ 5th July 2009 at The Picture Gallery, Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking, Surrey.

To view some of their work go to www.manchipp.com. For further information follow the link to Denbies.

Thu 14 May 2009

Pollyanna’s Celebration of Born Free

Pollyanna Pickering will be opening her private gallery at Brookvale House Oaker, Matlock, DE4 2JJ (AA signposted) from 20th June – 5th July for a very special exhibition. Over fifty original paintings will be on display for the first time as part of the official 25th anniversary celebrations of the Born Free Foundation.

The Born Free Foundation, founded by actress and conservationist Virginia McKenna, is a dynamic international wildlife charity, devoted to compassionate conservation and animal welfare. They take action worldwide to protect threatened species and stop individual animal suffering. This new collection of paintings has been inspired by their work with big cats around the world. Also on display throughout will be Pollyanna’s popular ranges of cards, prints and giftware featuring her work. Ten percent of all sales will be donated to Born Free, and visitors will also have the opportunity to win an original painting of lions in a grand prize draw.

Pollyanna first worked with Born Free In 1990 when she travelled to Southern India to paint five tigers rescued from appalling conditions in a roadside circus and flown to this sanctuary by the charity.  The story of her remarkable journey to find the tigers is told in the book ‘The Eye of the Tiger’, for which Virginia McKenna wrote the foreword.  Pollyanna has returned to her original sketches to complete a brand new series of paintings of the Born Free Tigers especially for this anniversary event. Virginia also contributed the foreword to Pollyanna’s first book Giant Pandas and Sleeping Dragons” – both will be available in the gallery throughout the exhibition.

Since then, Pollyanna has been pleased to continue to support the work of Born Free – including painting exclusive Christmas cards for them. The Pollyanna Pickering Foundation has also been able to contribute funding towards several of their projects, including purchasing equipment for their Orphan Polar Bear rescue project (this rescue scheme based in Canada is the only project which aims to re-release orphaned polar bears back into the wild), and providing funding for the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Project, which vaccinates this vulnerable species against rabies.

Last year Pollyanna travelled to South Africa where she visited Born Free’s Big cat sanctuary at Shamwari to sketch lions and leopards rescued from zoos, circuses and other captive facilities, now at home under the African sun. Pollyanna was delighted to meet the wonderful people working with the big cats at the centre, and to see the enclosures donations from her Foundation helped to build!  Her first paintings of these cats will be included in this exhibition, alongside a
series of works inspired by Joy Adamson’s original books

Virginia McKenna commented “For us this is a very special year. 2009 is the Born Free Foundation’s 25th Anniversary. That’s 25 years of saving lives, trying to stop cruelty, protecting species and changing attitudes. This vital work has only been possible because of your wonderful assistance, and I do thank you for sharing our charity’s dream of a better world for wild animals.

For further information phone 01629 55851 or visit www.pollyannapickering.co.uk 

Thu 07 May 2009

South East Open Studios

Lois Sykes and Denise Laurent will be doing Open Studios again this year from Lois's studio in Lingfield. There will be paintings, prints and drawings on show and there's a chance to meet Casper, the resident feline model.

Bankside Cottage Studio,
Blackberry Lane,
Lingfield, Surrey,
RH7 6NH
Open on the 10th, 13th, 14th, 17th, 20th and 21st of June.

Have a look at the photos from last year.

Tue 05 May 2009

"The Cats Who Keep Us" Fine Feline Art Show

Cat Hospital of Portland Gallery,
8065 SE 13th Ave.,
Portland, OR 97202
Opening: First Friday June 5th, 6 to 8pm
Showing: May 1 through June 30, 2009

Patrice deAvila will be showing her new collection of pastel paintings, full of Vibrancy and Whimsy from May 1st to June 30, 2009 at the Cat Hospital of Portland Gallery. http://www.portlandcats.net/

All paintings are soft pastel over watercolor on stretched canvas which leaves viewer so close to the pigmentation and color and you can experience the energy of each brush stroke, without the barriers of glass to hamper these enigmatic portraits.

Please bring your friends to the opening on First Friday, June 5th from 6 to 8pm. Meet with the artist and enjoy the works in the luxurious gallery atmosphere with refreshments.

To see previews of a portion of the show and to view a sampling of Patrice's earlier works  visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/patricedeavila

A portion of all sales from the show benefit animals in need.

For questions about available works, pricing or commissions email Patrice at patrice.deavila@gmail.com