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"Downtown Cats" mural in Downtown Canton


Illustration of “Downtown Cats” mural to be placed on
a building in Downtown Canton, OH

I am very excited to announce my largest commission ever: The “Downtown Cats” mural that will be placed on the building currently occupied by HEAP in Downtown Canton, OH. The building at 201 5th St. NW is in the heart of the Canton Arts District next to the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.

The mural depicts 4 cats sitting in windows shaped like those on surrounding buildings looking out onto a cityscape. Who are the 4 cats? The most famous downtown cats around, of course! Brewskie Butt, Art Adventures Studios official spokescat, and his housemates Noah, Slick and Who, will each be featured in one of the windows.

The mural will be painted in the studio on wood and then will be attached to the building. Each “window” will be approximately 4 ft. X 8 ft. Although I intend to blog about each step in the process, the formal unveiling of the mural is planned for July 2010.

I am very grateful to Tim Belden and the Timothy S. Belden Charitable Fund for commissioning the mural and for being such a solid supporter of the Canton Arts District. Tim is the genius behind the Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography, which has brought world class photography to Canton. I am also very grateful to Robb Hankins of ArtsInStark, the County Arts Council, for his support in developing this project, and to the Canton Development Partnership for their support.

There are so many amazing things going on in the Canton Arts District, and I am thrilled to be a part of all the excitement! Canton’s downtown is being reinvented by the arts, and despite the economic difficulties facing the entire country of late, Downtown Canton continues to grow. As I post about the development of this project, I will also report on other great projects going on in the district.

Don’t you wish you were in Canton?

Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT

Follow works in progress by BZTAT on Twitter by searching #bztatptg.

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OHnear Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.

Thought for the Day


Artwork by BZTAT

“I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me–like food or water. “
–Ray Charles

Art of Kindness event raises $2500 + for Friends of Stark Pound!


Art of Kindness paintings by BZTAT

On Thursday, September 10, 2009, I engaged in a 12-hr painting marathon at Second April Galerie to raise money for Friends of Stark Pound animal rescue group. It was an intense but productive 12 hours! The 4 paintings pictured above were created and auctioned off, raising a total of $520!!! Proceeds from the entire Art of Kindness event totaled well over $2500!

We weren’t sure how it would work, but I wanted to open up the auction of my paintings to Twitter fans. As it turned out, it was a huge success. All four paintings were sold to my official spokescat Brewskie Butt’s Twitter fans! I cannot thank them enough for their interest in my artwork and their donations to Friends of Stark Pound!

Here are the individual paintings with the names of the top bidders:


White Dog by BZTAT
Purchased by @IamZorro


Blue Cat by BZTAT
Purchased by @Cheriswan


Yellow and White Cat by BZTAT
Purchased by PrettyKitties53


Brown and White Dog (Sylvie Dog) by BZTAT
Purchased by @SylvieDog

We also had donations from @PerrytheBirman, @Whskr, and @Gabby_da_Tabby.

Friends of Stark Pound and I are very grateful to all who came to the event at Second April Galerie and to those who participated via Twitter. Proceeds go directly to animals in need in Stark County.

Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT

Follow works in progress by BZTAT on Twitter by searching #bztatptg.

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OHnear Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.