STANDARD CAT TIME

Just realized Tizzycat is operating on Standard Cat Time, 

NOT just showing up an hour early for his snack!  

(Come to think of it.... I prefer SCT to changing clocks twice
a year, too!)


⏰🐱❤️

MY BIRTHDAY BOY AT 17

Summer of 2000,  my Neighbor's son and
his pretty little year old Tortoiseshell
Cat, Nutty, (short for Nutmeg)
arrived from Las Vegas.
Just before leaving Vegas, Nutty got out.
Was gone for 2 weeks returning at
the last minute.

   
   
Tizzy's Mom, Nutmeg





     Arrived here and taken to the Vet for spaying,
Nutty had a surprise. A litter of kittens to deliver first.
What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but
the results happened in Philly.
     July 31, 2000 4 kittens delivered in the back
of a walk in closet. Sadly, one didn't make it.
But 2 tiny tigers and 1 tiny tuxie were fine.
Eyes closed and squeaking.
Nutty kept them fed, clean and together after
they started crawling.
    Picked up the tiny tuxie, he hissed
at me. Love at first hiss!
     Called him Tizzy, nickname of Thomas, the
mischievious little boy from the FLAMBARDS
TV series based on K M Peyton's books.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flambards_(TV_series)
     8 weeks later, little Tizzy moved in.
     Showed him his new litterbox, food and water bowls,
new toys and soft new bed. Used the litterbox and
the bowls. Batted and chased the toys and tried out
his bed, my bed, chair, window sill, folded blankets and
daybed. And been doing it all ever since.
    2 weeks later, his sister Jasmine (Jazzy) came to visit.
Greeted her with hisses!! His house and wasn't sharing.
Happy Birthday Tizzybeans!!


    Tizzy going on 18.

 

FAREWELL SWEET DIAVOLINO

Poor little Freddie Cat became so skinny.
Vet exam + ultra sound.
Lymphoma. Agressive Cancer.
Maybe 3-4mos...but as the Vet says...they can
fool you.
He tried hard to carry on.

But eating almost nothing.
Just wanted milk.
Wobbling now not scooting into
the corridor when I opened the door.
A kiss on that sweet little head
instead of our chase.



With every ounce of strength, hauling
himself up and onto his favorite folded
blanket bed on Bubbe Sarah's old chair
by the door.
Joining Tizzy for afternoon treats,
but not eating any.

My sweet little diavolino Freddie Cat's struggle ended
last Monday, June 12, 2017.

Deeply sad. 
Full of love, fun, pranks and life. Always purring.
Missing his dear little face every day.

Heartfelt deepest gratitude to Dr Christine Kirnos, The Cat Hospital of Media and Dr Brad Bates, Hospice Vet with THE LAP OF LOVE Veterinary Hospice services for their great care, devotion and compassion for Cats (and their Humans).... 🐱❤️🐱❤️

9 CAT FACES ?

9 kitty faces sitting on the bed…..

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9

Looked again and now there are 10!

Fred E. Cat cannot resist a freshly made bed.

Cute Kitty cushion, a purrfect Christmas present from friends.

WISHING ALL FAMILY & FRIENDS A HEALTHY, 

PEACEFUL AND PROSPEROUS 2015

WHO KNEW?

December 15 is NATIONAL CAT HERDERS DAY!!
Con molti ringraziamenti al mio grande amico, Tomasso Di Paola
che mi ha mandato questa notizia di oggi.❤❤❤
Without a doubt, my new favorite holiday!!
Finally, something to celebrate on a magnificent scale.
Maybe a RODEO!!
Too late for this year…..but will be ready next time!!

©Tomie DePaola art - all rights reserved 

NEW TRICKS, OLD CAT

Add caption

This might look like just another 

picture of a lady holding a cat. But to me 

it is a long leap in learning to "draw and paint" 
on my trusty IMac and IPod with a stylus and software. 

My biggest problem? 
It doesn't take many written directions to make my 
eyes cross and my brain stall out. 

Video tutorials are better, but they seldom to 

never cover that moment's difficulty. 

Now you know why I never considered

Law School or (heaven forbid) Medical School. 

I learn best when I have a problem

to solve. Here I wanted to build a scene with

more than a figure and with textures.

Couldn't rely on rulers and templates for straight

lines and smooth shapes. (Yes, Virginia, real 

artists often draw straight lines WITH a ruler).

This unfinished garden is a beginning try at some

computer "magic". I created only one of each flowering

plant then copied it across to repeat the plant.

I could also flip the art for more variation and

changed colors as well. Good fun for Illustrators.

I find my old way of working, preparing a strong 

sketch to work from by layering new

sheets of tracing paper over the old sketch

and re-drawing, refining, altering is too

cumbersome with stylus and screen. 

So I now start with big scribbled shapes

of color and wittle away, add and subtract,

duplicate and continue on, much easier.

I'm concentrating on shapes of color

rather than outlining shapes. Still shapes,

because that's what I see, shapes, color and 

pattern. Apologies if this is more than you

want to know and YOUR eyes are beginning 

to cross.

Learning more each day. Good mental and

creative exercise. And the BEST part?

No mess to clean up and no dirty paint water 
for Cats to steal a (yuck) drink.

Wrote this a while back...just before life took 
some unexpected turns including a new hip.
Picking up where I left off…and moving on.
CC

Some Kitties are white
Some roses are red
Sending love
♥
Carolyn
Tizzy and Fred

                                                 

                    

                     ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

iMac, iPad, iFred & Me

My gray and white fluffy left arm rest at work.
Notice his opened eye....for the nearby mouse? 

     
   Finishing revised sketches for an 
assignment. 
   Original pencil sketches drawn
by hand, but the computer helps
making requested changes.
   The best part, no mess!
   Finished art will be by hand in pencil, 
watercolor and color pencil.
   
   But the time spent learning to draw 
and paint on my iMac and iPad have 
not been wasted.


PS: Not every gray and white fluffy left 
arm rest will lick your fingers and purr......

Secret Life Of A Groundhog

My illustration from QUESTIONS, by Lee Bennett Hopkins, HarperCollins

February 2, Groundhog Day.

This year he saw his shadow.

Six more weeks of winter.

Ever wonder what a Groundhog does

for fun the rest of the year?

Chucks wood.

Yeah, as in "How much wood would 

a Woodchuck chuck.......

How come?

Groundhogs and Woodchucks are the 

same animal. :~)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog

Brotherly Love

Blogging to you from high above the city of

brotherly love.

Celebrating dear Freddie's 9th birthday!!

Don't know for sure the exact date, but

somewhere within the last week of January

and first week of February.

Tizzy was 3 when Fred arrived and not at all

happy to share his comfortable life.

Fred did little to win him over.

Slept in his beds.

Played with his toys.

Chasing the big guy around and wanting

to play when Tizzy wanted to sleep.

Nothing irritated Tizzy more than the

baby cat licking his face.

It still does. 

Its about who's the boss. Freddie never learns. Nano seconds after

this shot, a feline re-enactment of an Ali/Fraser fight. =^..^=

HAPPY 2012

   WISHING ALL A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

                                          Carolyn, Tizzy and Freddie

Hooray For Fran Manushkin!

Thanks to author Fran Manushkin. 
A delightful introduction to Hanukkah customs 
and family celebration of the Jewish Festival 
of Lights for the very young.

Each night a new candle is added to
the Menorah.
The whole family prepares and dines on
golden latkes, plays dreidel, sings Hanukkah
songs and enjoys chocolate Hanukkah gelt (coins). 

Watched by their playful tabby kitten.                       
Sharing Hanukkah fun and joy for 8 days and nights.                   
In remembrance of a miracle from 2nd century BC.   
A small amount of holy oil in the Temple burned 
for 8 days enabling the ancient Jews time to prepare 
a new supply in order to rededicate their Temple. 
My Art Director at Random House asked me
to set the celebrations in an early 20th century
city brownstone.
At that time most Jews living in eastern cities,
including some of my family, were poor hard-
working immigrants living in cramped tenements.
But that is a different story.
Simple Stickley style furniture remembered
from my Great Grandmother as well as another
Grandmother's Menorah and old family photos
helped inspire my illustrations.

TZ's First Snowfall

The inspiration for my 2011 holiday card came from

a picture I took of baby Tizzy's first reaction to 

falling snow 11 and a half years ago.

(click image to see snow flakes) ⓒ carolyn croll 2011

It was early evening. Looking out the north window

at the falling flakes chirping his pure enchantment,

tail wagging.

See Dec. 23, 2008 post

MyPad

Red Cat, Carolyn Croll ⓒ 2011

One tiny step for cat art, one GIANT step 

for me on my Ipad.

So proud of myself. Did this quickie sketch

of a red cat. 

Marks the first image I made on my Ipad using the SketchPro app

AND then somehow managed to transfer it to my Mac without

quite knowing how I did it. 

If I can figure that out, I intend to do it again.

Stay tuned.......

Love at First Sight

(click on images to enlarge)


Went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Craft Show for inspiration.
What I found was L O V E.
At first sight, Mark A. Perry's fabulous
carved wood goat. 

photo Mark A. Perry, with permission from the Artist

Then I spied the huge Running Sheepdog 

Pie Crimper? 

photo Mark A. Perry, with permission from the Artist

And it was an antique carved
scrimshaw pie crimper that gave
Sculptor Mark A. Perry the inspiration
to carve his gigantic Dog Crimpers.
(Some have dog bone wheel spokes).
The cream colored Sheepdog at full 
sprint, shaggy carved hair blowing 
in the wind. 

There is also the sleek ebony Great Dane
pushing his giant crimper forward.

photo Mark A. Perry, with permission from the Artist

And other breeds can be found among 

Mark A. Perry's FaceBook photos.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mark-A-Perry-Folk-Art-Sculptor/44280329948?sk=photos


This extraordinary Folk Art Sculptor is self-taught.
A perfectionist, learning his craft studying and duplicating and
taking inspiration from past excellence.
To see more of his exquisite Peacocks, gilded Fish, 
an enormous Grasshopper (sporting glass door knob eyes), 
elegant weather vanes, stoic tobacco shop Native American, 
cocky long necked Rooster and marvelous mysterious modern figures,

reminiscent of antique Italian Santos
visit Mark A. Perry's marvelous website:
http://www.folkartsculptor.com/

photo Mark A. Perry, with permission from the Artist

Still more to come.....stay tuned!

Aftershock In My Closet

Talking on the phone this morning.
Gazing at my open closet.
My shirts started dancing on their hangers.
Not another earthquake!
Nope, just Freddie Cat turning around in his new hideout.

Master of Catnap, Fred E. Cat

Outed!

Raining cats and dogs.

Good day for ironing shirts and thinking. 

Trying to hang finished shirts in the closet.

But something is in the way. 

Pushing the obstruction, the obstruction 

pushes back.

What the....?  

Can't a cat guy get a few z-z-z-z-z s in peace?    

SHEESH!!

Gone Fishing

         

Happy Birthday USA 2011

(click on image to enlarge)

illustration © Carolyn Croll 2011

Tags, You're It!

New collar. New tags. Good to go.
(Still won't say what he did with his old
collar and tags.)