As promised, I will hold a 12 hour “Create-a-thon” in conjunction with the exhibit tomorrow (Thursday, October 18). I will create artworks in the gallery for 12 hours (9 am – 9 pm) and make them available for auction the following day (Friday, October 19). The works created during the Create-a-thon will be auctioned to raise money for the latest Okey’s Promise: Art for a Cause project. You can donate straight to the project as well, regardless of the auction. 🙂
Some of the artworks will be paintings, some drawings, and maybe a surprise or two. Not all of them will be cats, although I am sure there will be a few mysterious felines in the bunch. All will be great for giving as gifts for the upcoming holidays!
Be watching my posts on Facebook and Twitter to see the works in progress throughout the day. Or better yet, stop by the gallery at 324 Cleveland Ave., NW and visit as I create!
I was already a Crazy Cat Lady before Okey found me.
As much as I love cats, I have always been pretty staunch in sticking to my boundaries with taking in new pets. I had four cats when Okey showed up, which was already one over my limit. I had only stretched my boundaries for the fourth (Who) because my mother’s cat needed a home when she went into a nursing home.
I really did not need another cat.
To be truthful, I tried to ignore Okey’s presence at first. She appeared in the parking lot of my building one day, which was not highly unusual. I live in a downtown area where occasional transient feral cats travel by.
But Okey would not be ignored.
I don’t think she wanted to be noticed, but she was bright white in color, making a strong contrast to the drab colors of the parking lot.
And she was not transient. Unlike other cats I have seen in the area, she stuck around. I eventually discovered that she had made herself a bed under the air conditioning unit of the building behind mine.
Okey was not streetwise either, which was different from other cats I have seen around my building. It was pretty clear that she had been “dumped” as she was not very good at staying out of traffic and out of view.
After she nearly was crushed beneath the wheels of my truck twice, I decided to rescue her.
I set a trap near her “bed” beneath the AC unit. It took a couple of days, but she eventually went in the trap and was no longer a parking lot kitty. I named her Okey after the Okey Law Firm building where she was rescued.
When she came inside, I realized that she was not feral. She was open to human contact, and she loved having her head rubbed. She was very timid, though, and seemed fearful that I would hurt her.
I expected that I would try to find Okey a home other than mine, but when I took her in to be spayed, I realized that I had fallen in love with this little cat. Getting back into my truck alone while she was at the vet, a Dixie Chicks song on the radio brought me to tears.
“How long do you want to be loved? Is forever enough cuz I’m never going to give you up.”
It was clear to me at that point that Okey had found a home.
It also became clear to me that Okey had likely been abused before she found me. Her behavior had all the classic signs – desiring affection but fearing it; shrinking away at sudden movements; constant anxiety and hypervigilance; etc.
Knowing that child abuse and domestic violence often are present when animal abuse occurs, I was haunted by the knowledge that Okey’s previous home may have had other victims.
Many people had followed Okey’s story on Facebook, as I had shared with my friends about the newest creature in my life. In fact, a number of them had contributed funds for her vet care.
I knew that her story was powerful, and that others wanted to hear it.
Okey’s Promise is a public art initiative to raise awareness about the connections between animal abuse, child abuse and domestic violence.
Most people are unaware of those connections. It is my mission, and my little cat’s legacy to make sure that EVERYONE becomes aware. My hope is that awareness will lead to action that will make ours a safer world for animals and for children and other vulnerable persons.
I can create great artworks that move people and open their eyes and hearts. I need help, though. I cannot do it alone.
I need the support of others to make it happen. Would you like to be one of Okey’s Promise Keepers?
More than everything, please help me share Okey’s story, so that we can eradicate animal abuse and it’s connected abuse to humans.
If doing that is crazy, who wants to be sane?
The video below was made to celebrate Okey’s Gotcha Day on October 30, 2011. it chronicles her journey from being a parking lot kitty to taking her place among my fabulous felines to being a worldwide sensation.
Please contact me if you would like to share Okey’s story and info about the new project on your blog or other media. I look forward to Okey’s story being told by many!
For my latest Okey’s Promise Project, I am using real animals and children as my models. I will be painting 10-12 paintings that represent everyday people and everyday creatures that have a story of resilience and survival.
I chose Sebastian, a gray and white tabby cat from the Kansas City, MO area as a model for a number of reasons. He was a 7 year old kitty who somehow found himself in a homeless pet shelter at a mature age when he worked his way into the heart of Amy, a volunteer.
Sebastian had a sensitive soul, and a sensitive stomach, as it turned out. He survived being homeless and being a harder to place cat. He survived ongoing tummy issues. He wrote about his adventures and the needs of other pets on his blog, and he helped get the word out about adopting harder to place animals.
And he became an amazing companion to Amy and her husband Lee.
Earlier this year, Sebastian survived another huge crisis when Amy and Lee’s apartment burned down. Luckily, he and Dottie, his companion guinea pig, and Amy and Lee, got out safely. But their home and all their things were destroyed. Sebastian was great comfort to Amy and Lee during those trying days.
Sadly, Sebastian, ever the resilient one, was not able to live forever in this world, however. He developed serious health problems last weekend, to which he succumbed last night. He was 9 years old.
My heart goes out to Amy and Lee. Amy and I have become great friends online and in real life. We share a love of animals and we understand how deep that love goes for people like us. I know how dear this creature was to her.
Amy has also been a huge support to me as an artist, and was one of the first people to commission a pet portrait from me. Ironically, that painting was destroyed in the fire, and I will soon be re-painting it for her.
Sebastian was only with Amy and Lee for 2 years, but that was enough time for a beautiful love story to blossom. I believe that the souls of animals live on, and I am certain that this sensitive soul is now in a good place.
Thank you, Sebastian for being the purrfect model. And thank you Amy for sharing his soul with me and so many others.
This painting is not yet complete, as it will eventually have drawings from children pasted into the background. Follow Okey’s Promise: Art for a Cause for further developments with the project.
