Black Cat Appreciation Day

Today is Black Cat Appreciation Day, but if it wasn’t perfectly clear before, we celebrate black cats every day here at The Creative Cat! I feel I’m fortunate in so many ways that Mimi and her wonderful children came into my life and stayed, and there are many moments in each day that I look at them with wonder and express that wonder to them with love and affection—and in my own personal way of perceiving and interpreting the world around me, in several dozen photographs, a sketch or two, and all the things I create from watching them.

I have always loved the look of black cats, loved the look of the silhouette and the bright eyes set like gems in their fur, when I was rescued by one many years ago he became my reason to begin rescuing all the cats I’ve rescued since, and they became my first tentative subjects for art, and here I am today.

It’s not just because they are cats that they are so inspiring to me, though I find cats to be one of the most inspiring subjects for my creative outlets, it is in good part because they are black that I find them so inspiring. As I’ve mentioned often in my daily sketches I can take those wonderful silhouettes, those solid coats with glowing eyes and shining whiskers and graceful tails, and make them into any color or pattern I want, and I do, just as often as I render them in their actual colors with those rich and lovely highlights and shadows, sharing the best of the beauty I see and render, with love, by my own hand.

And it’s not just that I want to share every cute, funny and beautiful thing they do—in a real way, I’m just like everyone else out there posting photos of my cats on the internet, and before this family came along I was sharing and still share photos and sketches and paintings of cats in stripes and calico spots and tortie speckles and even pure white. And it’s not just that I want to show off my photography and art, though as a professional artist, that’s what you do.

Perceiving beauty in the world around us is a very personal thing. I truly believe that especially visual images which we personally find beautiful move our emotions and cause us to love the subject of that work, and love it more and more each time we see an image of it. I also believe that the love embedded into an image by the creator is felt by the viewer. In this way, and possibly most importantly, I hope that each and every one of the thousands of photos of my black cats which I’ve posted, shared, made into merchandise and licensed as photographs, and especially all of the artwork I’ve created touches the heart of every viewer and moves them to love black cats, and more each time they look at them, and inspires them to seek out a black cat to live with and admire and love.

Even the sketch I did just last night, after I’d watched Mewsette and Bean for hours cuddling and cuddling in the impossibly tiny box in every position of love and comfort—curled together nose to nose, like yin and yang, one on top of the other, impossibly twisted—in the gentle light from the window, it was love that made me do it. My eye was watching the dusky purple shadows and blue highlights, their mahogany patina, their ears poking up here and there from that wondrous soft cushiony pile of black fur; I loved them so intensely that I repeatedly got up and went to just put my hands on them to absorb some of their joy, which elicited a purr from each at just the touch of my hand, a share of love, and I turned that love into a sketch, wanting to share that softness and the gentle moment.

Today will be another day of inspiration in the paws of my black cats. I often say they are a gift, these loving and respectful souls, after years rescuing cats with physical and emotional scars from neglect and abuse, right now, all they need is love, and they give plenty in return. It’s my goal as a lover of cats and as an artist to share that love and inspire it in others.

Even our new sister Emeraude inspires me every day with the resilience of a geriatric cat who’s lost all she knows and yet goes on to find her place and continue to love—and those still brilliant green eyes in her charcoal fur.

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Black Cat Appreciation day was founded by Wayne Morris in honor of his sister who passed away years ago on August 17, and the black cat that she loved. You can visit Wayne’s Facebook page For the Love of Black Cats (Black Cat Appreciation Page).

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Discount on black cat goods!

Show how much you love black cats and help spread the love! All merchandise in my Etsy shop depicting and inspired by my black cats is 25% off today and tomorrow, August 17 and 18. Use the coupon code. BLACKCATAPPRECIATION to take advantage of your savings.

Browse some rescued cats and kittens!

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.

Do you appreciate the stories and images we offer you each day?

© 2013 | www.TheCreativeCat.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

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