Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to workshop I go!!

I'll save my usual apologies for the lag in posting - in my defense there is a whole heckuva lot going on around here recently. The overarching biggie of them all is that Cat-in-a-Box will be moving from snowy Colorado to snowy Chicago in the very near future. Any of you who have ever moved (and especially those of you who have a habit of occasionally moving twice in one year) can sympathise with the descent into chaos that is occurring here currently.

Although I must say it's heaven for a certain boxaphilic cat....

"I can haz bubbelrap?'

However - there's nothing like moving to light a fire under you. So among the other things I've been up to (which I plan to use as further blog-fodder in the upcoming weeks so I can show you some new art) I'm also giving an Introduction to Scratchboard workshop next week at the Wyly Community Arts center in Basalt, CO. So if any blog-readers out there are local think about signing up at http://www.wylyarts.org/content/scratchboard! The workshop with cover the basics of scratchboard origins and techniques, with some practice exercises and a fun valentine's Day project on day one and a more in-depth discussion of advanced techniques and starting on a 5x7" board on day two. Be sure to spread the word if you know anyone in the Roaring Forks Valley who might be interested!


In other news, I have had a piece accepted to this year's Art Show at the Dog Show! Rosie's whiteboard portrait (titled 'Petulant') was juried in from a total of 462 submissions, it will be making the trip to Kansas to compete against other canine art in the show this spring. If you'll be in Kansas in March or April try to check out the show, the schedule is here.

"Petulant" (Rosie) 9x12" Whiteboard (c) Pam Boutilier

And another piece I can post now is this tiny scratchboard done for a friend as a Christmas gift. This is dearly beloved Ellie who passed away a year ago, isn't she just beautiful?

"Ellie" 3.5 x 5" scratchboard (c) Pam Boutilier

I have some more work that were gifts and so could not be posted earlier, keep a weather eye and I'll get them up in the near future! I'm also pondering the direction of this blog... so be prepared for the possibility of some interesting sidetracks!

Thanks for reading!

~ Pam

I like the colour blue....

Yesterday I went down to the Glenwood Springs Fall Art Festival, and as usual it was a great show with a huge amount of art. The show is non-juried, and each artist is allowed to exhibit two works categorized as 'Professional', 'Advanced', or 'Amateur'.

I went with my hubby and a friend. They both approached in their usual fashion - going row by row and carefully inspecting each piece of art. I, on the other hand, like to make half a dozen or more sweeps of the show - the first couple to pick out what I like most, and then the rest to look at everything in a bit more detail (I can't pay attention when I don't know how much and what more is 'out there' - I blame the right side of my brain on for that one!).

So I found my own pieces just a little bit before they did, and to my surprise (and great excitement) I found that 'Hey, we're napping here!' took first place in the Pastel/Animals (Professional) division!


This one has always been a sentimental favorite of mine, but also one that I'm proud of technically as well. I'm so happy that it won! Now it will go back to it's spot on display at Valley Emergency Pet Care.


I also sold several pieces at the associated sale (all but one that I submitted). Now that the Fair is over the next big task is getting my Etsy store up and running. I'll post here as soon as I have some things listed!

~ Pam

Pet Portrait Desktopper WINNER - September #1 (of 2)

As you might recall I've had several things on the go this summer, not the least of which was moving - and so July's Desktopper contest was postponed and instead I decided to do TWO pets for September.

Here's the official announcement of the first of those - meet Havoc!


Here's what Havoc's owner, Jennifer has to say about her!

This is my 8 year old cat Havoc. I adopted her from the SPCA when I was working there. She is a himalayan mix and I've been told by a cat breeder that she is a 'poorly marked blue cream'. Regardless of her colouring, she is very dog-like in personality, which really isn't a surprise considering her housemates are 3 big furry dogs! She is just cat-like enough to irritate me sometimes and just dog-like enough to make me keep her!

Thanks for entering the contest Jennifer! Watch for your Desktopper portrait in the mail!

The second Desktopper for September has been selected and will be posted soon! In the meantime the contest is still open, you have until September 20th to have your pet's photo in the hat for the October contest! Remember the contest rules are on my website here. Any of you who have entered in the past, remember that your pet's photo will remain 'in the hat' unless you wish it to be removed, so keep watching as the new winners are announced!!

In other news - I've got several pet commissions on the go that will be completed over the next few months. I will post some work-in-progress posts on those ones. Also the Glenwood Springs Fall Art Fair is coming up soon! If you are in the area I will have works entered as well as things available in the 'bargain bin' sale.

Alamosa bound!

It's an exciting evening for me - tomorrow morning the hubby and dog and myself pile into the car and drive 5 1/2 hours through the mountains to Alamosa, CO.

This is my first mention of it on the blog - but two of my pieces have been accepted to the Adam State College Invitational Scratchboard Art Show in Alamosa, Colorado. The show officially opened Jan 19th, but the official Opening Reception is tomorrow, January 22nd. I'm very excited as this is the first time for me having my art shown in a gallery, but also I will get to meet some people I've known for more than a year and yet have not met in-person. Here's a brief moment for me to put out a plug for WetCanvas.com - a great online artist community of which I can say at least the Scratchboard art segment are a great bunch of folks! Many of the artists showing in Alamosa did a show last year in Indianapolis, and I am proud to number among them in this show (and so lucky that it's close enough I can actually attend!).

So here's a peek at the pieces I have in the show, in case you aren't close enough to stop by:

"Ben" 11 x14" Scratchboard and Ink

Detail shot:


Some of my blog followers may remember this one from the initial sketch here, or the sneak peek here. This was a beautiful boxer I met at the Basalt Sunday Market last year. It's one of the first coloured scratchboards I have done and presented a few challenges that were a definite learning experience. I am glad that I was able to represent this beautiful dog, and the pose and lighting were an artist's dream to work with. I love working from my own reference photos when I can catch the exact image I want - perhaps that is why I take 30-40 photos for every one that I choose to use for a scratchboard. :D

"Ben" 16 x20" Scratchboard

Detail shot:


This was (is) my beautiful Belgian horse. This is my largest scratchboard yet, and even so it is not as large as real-life, in reality if he stuck his muzzle in my armpit I could just barely reach his poll (the tip-top of his head). He is a wonderful horse - when my veterinary career advanced I had to move across the country we had to sell Ben, but he went to a wonderful farm where he could be around other horses and finally decided that with a friend the harness wasn't so scary.

I hope you like these pieces, and if you happen to be in southern Colorado please stop by - the show is at the Cloyd Snook Gallery and runs from Jan 19th to Feb 19th, 2010. You can find a little more information here.

I'll put out a new Newsletter with photos from the show after the fact, and the first glimpse of my newest whiteboard, so if you haven't signed up for the Newsletter yet consider doing so (link in the upper right!).

Good night, wish me luck on the snowy mountain roads tomorrow!

~ Pam