April Featured Artwork and Desktop Calendar: Sophie Keeps an Eye on Things

Even in the snow the forget-me-nots are beginning to sprout all over the back yard. in the pots in the windowbox under my dining room window. Each year when I transplant them from the yard and put the pots in place I remember Sophie and this particular beautiful moment in 2005—May 4, 2005 to be exact.

And while I usually use a piece of artwork as my monthly desktop calendar, this photo has recently been commented on and treasured in so many treasuries on Etsy that I decided I wanted to use it as a desktop calendar, and not even to wait until May at the anniversary of the photo because I need some spring right now.

About the photo

Sophie could use any prop to dramatic effect, and the lace curtains were her favorite. Of course, you can’t see her. But if you look closely you might see a cat’s face through the lace that might have Sophie’s big green eyes with heavy eye-liner, and her tabby babushka and outlined nose.

I took a number of other photographs the same day I took “Sophie Keeps and Eye on Things”, all with the lace curtain filled with early evening sun. I was preparing to leave the house on my bike and had my original little 2MP digital camera, and because Sophie always fussed when I was leaving she got extra attention, inside and out. Never sorry for spending that time!

In the evenings I closed my curtains before I left. Sophie always watched me leave the house and she took the opportunity to play around with the curtains—often I had to inspect the lace to see her white fur through the mesh, or she dramatically appeared from between the panels, around the edge or underneath, but she was always there with her big round eyes.

On this day, in the late afternoon, the warm spring sun angled into the window imparting a creamy tone to the lace, and the forget-me-nots I’d planted in pots in the windowbox were in full flower. Before I left I closed the curtains because I’d be gone after dark, and Sophie began her little game while I was still indoors, so I stopped and captured a few images of her silhouetted and peering through the curtain at me.

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I posted the center of these photos with a little more of the story in March entitled Sophie and Lace.

Then I finally went out the door and, as I always did, stopped to look back at both my front windows and the door to see which kitties were bidding me farewell, or sending me on a guilt trip, depending on their attitude. I don’t remember who was at the other window or the door, but Sophie managed to find an open spot to peer through the lace at me in several different ways. I had my bike and my hands full of things, and only my little 2MP digital with no zoom, and wished I had my Pentax film camera at least, knowing the shot would be difficult with the tiny digital. I considered stepping back in to get the film camera, but knew she’d move and I’d never see this particular shot again. So I put everything down, kicked out the kickstand on my bike, pulled the digital out of its little wallet, pointed and clicked, several times, and hoped for the best. And I got it.

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I lost Sophie at the end of 2006 and hardly a day goes by that I don’t think about her. Her rescue story is also one of the funniest of all my rescue stories, so after you’ve downloaded your desktop calendar take time to read “The Housewarming Cat”.

So in photographing your cats, let that be a lesson to you! Do your best with what you have, and don’t hesitate, just take the photo. If you don’t capture the shot you wanted you may get something else entirely, and you may come up with something fantastic.

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Where to find “Sophie Keeps an Eye on Things”

I have offered this design as a greeting card for years, and I’ve just made it into several handmade and other goods. Because I’d Originally planned “Sophie Keeps an  Eye on Things” for May but arbitrarily decided yesterday to feature her in April because of an intense need for spring, I’m still finishing some items with her image.

Wood-mounted image

This 5″ x 7″ block, originally intended for painting, is a 1/8″ birch wood panel “cradled” with a 1″ canvas stretcher added to the back for strength and stability and, incidentally, ease of hanging. I’ve painted the sides cobalt blue and mounted the print edge to edge on the top surface, then covered it with acrylic finish. It’s ready to hang—the wood bars “cradling” the back are a natural hanger to use with a picture hanger, nail, screw or bar—and it can also sit on an easel or on a shelf.

Right now I only offer these wood-mounted photos in 5″ x 7″, but I’m also trying this one out on 8″ x 10″ panels. You can find this wood-mounted photo in my Etsy shop.

~ The following products will be ready soon. ~

Keepsake Boxes

This photo is a natural for a keepsake box! I’ve used the same cobalt blue on the sides with the photo covering the lid, and I liked the image so much I experimented with rectangular, square and round boxes, ranging in price from $10 to $20. I’ll be posting these very soon on Etsy—I have most of them finished, but haven’t had a chance to photograph the finished boxes yet, but bookmark this post and check back for when I add the link, or send me an e-mail with your interest. Click here to read more about the keepsake boxes I make.

Garden Flag

Production on my garden flags is moving slowly but surely, while I’ve been somewhat impatiently waiting for it all to be done! They will be printed double sided and cost $15.00. Click here to read more about my new garden flags and check back for when I add the link, or send me an e-mail with your interest.

Notebooks

I’ve pictured this for years as the cover of a little 5″ x 7″ spiral-bound notebook with blue paper, but hesitated because of cost. I finally decided to go ahead with them and a few other designs, each with unlined colored paper and black or white spiral binding, though not all will be 5″ x 7″—some will be tall and narrow and some will be square! I really had a ball designing these, but because “Sophie Keeps an Eye on Things” was the inspiration, she will be first. Notebooks will cost $10.00 each. As I’ve mentioned above, bookmark this post and check back for when I add the link, or send me an e-mail with your interest.

I hope you enjoy him watching over you for the month of March as well!

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This month’s desktop calendar

I’ve worked this image into a desktop calendar for you to enjoy and use for the entire month. Looking at the downloads from previous months and averaging out which dimensions fit which devices, I have reduced the number of variations from 12 to three. It was very time-consuming to create all the variations with new devices arriving all the time, so I have one for horizontal monitors/screens, one for square monitors/screens, and one that should fit the dimensions of nearly all mobile devices. If these sizes don’t work for your device, please let me know.

How to download and use your desktop calendar

1. Click on one of the images below that matches the dimensions of your monitor to open the image in a new page.
2. For desktop computers and laptops, right-click on that image and on a desktop computer choose “save as desktop wallpaper” or “save as background” or whichever option your operating system gives you to be able to do this. You may also simply save it to your hard drive and set it as your background from there.
3. For mobile devices, download the image to your gallery then choose it as your wallpaper—this is slightly different on all devices.

Horizontal and HD monitors and screens

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Square monitors and screens

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Small Mobile Devices and Tablets

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Cell Phones and Smartphones

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Take a look at other featured artwork and desktop calendar posts.

Each month I feature a piece of feline artwork from the archives to the present day, discuss its history and process, and set it up as a free downloadable desktop calendar for just about every electronic device available.

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Click here to see daily sketches, click here to see daily photographs

click here to see other artwork featured on The Creative Cat

or visit Fine Art and Portraiture on my main website.

If you are interested in a print of this image, check my Etsy shop to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.

 

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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.

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