Not that I've got much to show for my work. I've been spending my spare moments coloring a book called "Splendid Cities: Color Your Way to Calm." But a colored-in page takes up almost no space at all (unless you frame it). Pottery and paintings demand shelf and wall space knitted scarves cry out to be worn or bestowed as gifts. As hobbies go, coloring books are incredibly simple: portable, easy to pick up and put down, old-school analog pursuits with no batteries or messages, no calorie-counting, skill-building, classes or scores.Īnd the finished product is perfect for minimalists. "Coloring is a way to calm down and unwind at the end of the day."īut art therapy is not the only reason coloring has taken off. Following my Yearlong studio project, in which I painted my cat, Charley EVERYDAY of 2017!Īll rights reserved by Artist, Lora Shelley."People are stressed and anxious all the time," said Jeannine Dillon, Quarto's publisher. I created this coloring book to accompany my exhibition - The Year of the Cat - A Charley a Day. This coloring book is my way of celebrating the completion of this project. But fellow artist friends understood my obsession. “Sorry I’m late, I was painting my cat” wouldn’t fly with just anyone. I have also relied on the patience and understanding of friends. Don’t worry, even after this year of intense focus, he still gets tons of attention. Hooray for Charley! A big thank you goes out to Charley for putting up with this project. I hope my love for the process of painting and drawing as well as my love for my cat is evident throughout this body of work. What began as a studio exercise ended as a lesson in meditation and perseverance. Quieting that down helped to calm my constant anxiety. It helped to occupy the noisy chatter in my head. This project became for me a constructive way to focus my OCD. Afterwards, I felt a sense of peace and accomplishment. I became so immersed in the act of painting that I’d discover an hour or two had flown by and there was still more I wanted to capture. I discovered through the year that this ritual had become my daily meditation. The Fiber O’s came from an artist friend with a cereal loving family. Friends and family were kind enough to donate their boxes. Many toy mice were employed to keep his attention (sometimes on my head as I drew.) Because drawing from life was key to this project, my palette was kept full, with brushes and water always at hand for a spontaneous painting session.Ĭereal Box panels were used as canvases, for they are the perfect size and color. If you know cats, you know what a challenge this was. The trick was to capture them before Charley moved. How did I keep my model motivated?, you might also wonder.Ĭats strike naturally elegant poses. But I decided he was eagerly offering his assistance. My trustworthy studio assistant volunteered. I needed a subject that could be available to me 24/7. It sharpened my skills and kept me 'in the flow' for my other projects. I wanted a structured project that would help me integrate my painting/drawing practice into my everyday life. Right on schedule, the project culminated on December 31st with 365 finished works (as well as hundreds of incomplete renderings.) In particular, our ‘formidable’ cat, Charley.Įvery single day of 2017 - no matter what and with no excuses- I made a painting of Charley. It may have been the Year of the Rooster - but in our house 2017 was definitely the Year of the Cat. Coloring book with 26+ pages to color! Not all pages pictured above.Ĩ 1/2" x 11" professionally printed and bound.
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