Tag: Okey’s promise

February 18, 2011

February Encore: Okey Drawing to Benefit Feral Cat Rescue

"Okey" Drawing by BZTAT

Today’s February Encore drawing is special. It is special for two reasons.

One is because it is a drawing of my little rescue cat Okey, who is, of course, very special to me. She is special to many others as well, because of the Okey’s Promise movement she has inspired.

The other reason this particular drawing is special is because I am offering the proceeds from its auction to the rescue group that helped me rescue Okey. Cripple Creek Ferals & Friends is currently involved in a major rescue of several feral cats whose situation has worsened in the midst of their rescue.

Volunteers had begun attending to several cats at the home of a couple who had lost control of their population of felines. After the rescue had begun, the house caught fire. The woman was seriously injured. The man had already been placed in a nursing home and was no longer in the home. (Read local news about the fire and cat rescue.)

It appears that the cats that were in the home survived by escaping into the garage that did not burn. Now Cripple Creek Ferals & Friends are tasked with managing, assessing, vetting and finding homes for all these cats. You can follow updates on the cats and learn adopting them at Cripple Creek’s Petfinder page.

Cripple Creek Ferals & Friends is not a large rescue group, but they are top notch, and I have no doubt that they will find a way to give these cats the best. Their leader coached me through Okey’s rescue, and we are both deeply indebted to her. The group needs resources though, and I have agreed to help raise funds for them.

All of the proceeds from this drawing’s auction will go to Cripple Creek Ferals and Friends. You can also donate to their organization separate from the auction by sending money via PayPal to the email address: criplcrkferals@aol.com.

Thanks for your support.

Here’s the info about the drawing:

This auction is now closed.

Approx. 5″ X7″ Prismacolor Pencil Drawing by artist BZTAT

(Drawing is on Bristol Board and pasted onto a colored paper background.)

Comes with an acid free mat ready for an 8″ X 10″ frame

Leave bids in increments of $5 below in the comments section.

Minimum Bid $30 USD

Shipping: $5 USA $15 International

BUY NOW OPTION: You can buy this piece now for $60 as long as no bids have been made in the comments below. Simply write BUY NOW in the comments and send a payment of $60 + shipping via PayPal to bztat at bztat.com.

Highest bid at 11:00 pm EST on Monday 2/21/11 wins the piece.

Winning bidder: send payment of bid + shipping to Paypal using email address: bztat at bztat.com

Please allow 3-4 weeks for USA shipping.

See all the January 2011 A Drawing a Day drawings

January 16, 2011

Today's Drawing a Day: Promise Keeper

See all the January 2011 A Drawing a Day drawings!

"Promise Keeper" drawing by BZTAT

I am making a drawing every day in January, and posting each day’s drawing here on my blog. Each drawing will be placed for auction here with a buy now option for folks who don’t get into the auction frenzy.

Today’s drawing is a drawing of my little rescue cat Okey, who is the inspiration behind my “Okey’s Promise” public art initiative. “Okey’s Promise” is an initiative that seeks to bring awareness to he connections between animal abuse, child abuse and domestic violence through large scale public art. You can become one of Okey’s Promise Keepers by pledging your support here!

Watch the video below to see how Okey’s Promise got started.

Here is the info about the drawing:

This auction is now closed.

5″ X 7″ Prismacolor Pencil and Marker Drawing by artist BZTAT

Comes with an acid free mat ready for an 8″ X 10″ frame

Leave bids in increments of $5 below in the comments section.

Minimum Bid $30 USD

Shipping: $5 USA $15 International

BUY NOW OPTION is no longer active. It is only active when there are no bids for the piece.

Highest bid at 10:00 pm EST on Tuesday 1/18/11 wins the piece.

Winning bidder: send payment of bid + shipping to Paypal using email address: bztat at bztat.com

Please allow 2-3 weeks for USA shipping.

December 29, 2010

Okey's Promise: Safe Animals – Safe Kids

I am a mural artist. I like to create large scale public art that can be enjoyed by everyone, not just the select few people who make their way into a gallery or museum.

Most artists aspire to have their work shown in a gallery or museum. Not me. I would rather have my art seen on building on a city street where thousands can see it as they drive or walk by.

I also like to create art that has a purpose of motivating and inspiring people to make change in the world.

My artistic ideal is not exactly an easy path. Finding a way to finance public art with an altruistic purpose is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Typically, you have to submit laborious grant proposals or enter competitions to gain public art funding. Your chances are slim to none in such efforts, and your efforts are often judged by people who have no concept of what you hope to achieve.

If I take the typical route, it will take months to gain the funding, if I get it at all. There is a good chance that I would lose out to another worthy project, and my artistic vision would also be at risk of being altered by less visionary community leaders.

I have a passion and a vision with Okey’s Promise. It is a project that simply must be done.

I know that there are people who share my passion and are inspired by my vision. And I know that they can help me fulfill the vision. Are you one of them?

Are you intrigued enough to explore a bit more and join me in my artistic adventure?

Okey’s Promise is a public art project designed to create public awareness about the connections between animal abuse, child abuse and domestic violence.

These issues are deeply connect and need to be addressed together, not one in isolation of each other. When animals are suffering in a home or a community, children are likely to be suffering as well.

Yet merely sharing the facts doesn’t seem to get the point across.

Creating artwork that is highly visible to the community has a greater chance of connecting the dots for people. It is easy to ignore a fact sheet, but hard to dismiss a powerful public artwork that reaches out to you each day as you drive by it.

Please visit my Okey’s Promise website to learn more and to read about my unique plan for funding the project. You can also follow updates on Facebook.

Thanks. Your support means so much to me.