Cats Are Mysterious Creatures - Ask a Writer

"Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat."

I have to love that quote by Mark Twain. Cats are the most amazing creatures, and writers seem to adore them. Think about the six-toed cats that still live in Ernest Hemingway's house in Key West FL.

"A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not,” according to Hemingway.

One of my favorite authors, Edgar Allen Poe, said, “I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat.”

And Jules Verne wrote, “I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.”

"Fluffy Noir, the Feral Cat" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Cats are surely most mysterious creatures. Perhaps they are spirits come to earth as Verne observed. 

Over the years I have rescued many cats. Once, as a child, I saved a litter of four adorable newborn kittens drowning in a thunderstorm. Although we never brought the cats into the house, we fed them outside for as long as I remember. Smokey became my favorite and met me each day when I came home from school for lunch. I was devastated when he was struck by a car and killed.

They all have unique personalities and can surely inspire writers. We have a feral cat that lives in our yard, and, although I feed him, he will never let me near him. Fluffy Noir is long-haired and scraggly because no one can get near enough to comb his hair. The first time I saw him was the day he showed up on our deck with a torn and bleeding chest. I felt sorry for him and opened a can of tuna fish, sure it would be his last meal. It wasn't. I couldn't let him go hungry, so I continued to feed him. He now strides about with confidence but still allows no one to come near him. Strangely, he never makes a sound. He is the first cat I've known without a meow.

Cats are the perfect creatures for writers. They give all of us a lot about which to write. They are independent and beyond domination. I think Mark Twain was right in his observation. Crossing man and cat would harm cat, not man.

I once let a cat die in a story I wrote about Jamaica and Obeah. I lost readers because of it and will never make that mistake again.

The Carl Sandburg poem about "Fog" gives a vision about the presence of cats: 

 

The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

 

How perfect is that?

Art and Writing, Writing and Art

"Farrah's Art Show"

Art and writing. Writing and art. For many years, I've looked for ways to combine the two.

My most recent attempt was to allow artist Ferrah Ferand, the heroine of Evening of the Dragonfly, the opportunity to actually paint the exhibition she creates in the book. Over the past few months, I've had several showings of the work that were accompanied by book signings. I'm not sure how much help the art shows have been, but in one case the paintings were a major hit.

During the two days after Thanksgiving, when my work was part of the Mathews Bay School Holiday Open House, I told many passersby about the meaning of the show. They listened politely, and some asked questions. However, not many book sales resulted from Farrah's Art.

I enjoyed talking to the visitors, most of whom were participating in an Artists Studio Open House which allowed the touring of about seven different art studios located inside or near private homes in the area. The weather was nice both days, and the people entering the gallery were appreciative of the opportunity to see so much original art. They were also quite interested in the jewelry displays located inside the Bay School Gallery.

Writing and art. My next project will involve writing statements about various pieces of art I have produced for sale. You would think that would be quite simple for a writer who is also an artist. It isn't, but still I am looking forward to doing this. What is my inspiration? What is the story for this piece?

A Week of Painting at Springmaid Watermedia Workshops

Being able to paint to your heart's content for an entire week is an artist's dream. It certainly is mine.

I just returned from fulfilling that dream at the Springmaid Watermedia Workshops in Myrtle Beach SC. Out of eight available workshops, I chose the one taught by Carrie Brown. I was not disappointed. Although I've painted for years, taught everyone from kindergarten to adult ages, have my own workshops I instruct, I have learned that you can always learn something new. From Carrie, I learned a lot.

It has always bothered me when my expensive - mostly Golden brand - acrylics dry up on my palette and I have to throw away the beautiful but dried-up paint. Sometimes I have managed to peel off the bits and pieces of color to save. Once I even created a bouquet of colorful paint remnants that became a small piece of sculpture for my studio. I've used lots of items for my palette, from actual palettes made for that purpose to plastic covers and plates. I've also tried Reynolds freezer paper but didn't especially like it.

"Sea of Red" ©Mary Montague Sikes

With Carrie's instruction on taping the freezer paper to a backing--I chose lightweight foam core--I've found a palette I love. It is also a palette that is useful for saving and re-purposing my leftover acrylic paints. Once you've used this palette enough, you have an acrylic skin that can be peeled away and later adhered to a piece of canvas as part of a new painting. I love this process as a method to save paint and to also be creative at the same time. Another advantage to this process is that the palette is then reusable.

Here's an example of a skin painting. I probably will add more paint to the empty white canvas or perhaps I will leave it as it is now. I haven't decided. The paint skin is beautiful, and it gives an artist so many exciting possibilities.

What a fun week. We painted in a classroom with a wall of windows overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. What could be more perfect?

"Springmaid Dock" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Showing Art in a Different Place

Autumn is a busy time for artists. New shows open. The Metropolitan Richmond Artists Association, of which I am a member, has its annual judged exhibition. Prince George Art & Frame has its Holiday Open House. There are lots of workshops and many fundraising events. And there are new opportunities. One of those opportunities for me is showing some of my paintings in the Conference Room of the West Point Business Center, owned by Jeff Bateman, president of Integrity Food Group.

We hung a selection of floral paintings there last week, and I am pleased with the resulting show. I hope it brightens the space. Here are some photos from it.

©Mary Montague Sikes

©Mary Montague Sikes

©Mary Montague Sikes

"Ithaca" Is a Movie That Features Petersburg

Meg Ryan is one of my favorite actresses. Because of her part in "Sleepless in Seattle", I modeled the heroine of my novel, Daddy's Christmas Angel, after her. Now I am excited to know that "Ithaca", the movie she directed and plays the lead in, will soon be released.

Filmed in Petersburg during the summer of 2014, places like the Globe Department Store and Brickhouse Run Restaurant, as well as Sycamore Street are recognizable in the film, according to reports. After being connected to Petersburg for many years through Petersburg Regional Arts Center, and now The Ward Center for Contemporary Art, it will be exciting to see our street and a restaurant that we really like as part of the movie.

"Courthouse in Old Towne Petersburg" ©Mary Montague Sikes

An article by Shelby Mertens of the Petersburg Progress-Index describes Ryan's feelings as a mother that influenced the telling of this story that is set in the 1940s. Ryan found Petersburg to be an ideal setting for the story. The film crew praised the city for embracing them and allowing streets to be blocked off during the production.

Because of the historic ambiance of Old Towne Petersburg, the area is poised to become the setting of more movies in the future. Like other Virginia towns and cities, memories of the past still hang in the air and that is a factor to attract the motion picture companies.

***Please visit my new art blog, "The Artful Way".