and life.....
Last year I started the process of combining all of my work onto one website. It has been a long trip and finally I have a live version of this now.
The stumbling block for me was finding a way to make it all work, seamlessly and have an esthetic that fit for perfume and olfactory work as well as fine art and graphics.
Getting all of the setting just right. Shipping for perfume from the studio here in Ohio and fulfillment for prints and merchandise from offsite.
I have been using Printful for our products, cat art and designs for over a year now, and have purchased quite a few items for my studio. The quality is great for the totes and pillows, but the art prints are a new thing. I have not ordered prints from them because we print a lot in-house and I wanted to try this before I uploaded all of my other art pages to this site.
There are a few websites that specialize in art prints, but for me it is not my main focus. Most of my art is textural and collaged and large, not the best choice for prints, so investing in a partnership that specializes in this is not the best use of my time or money right now.
A bit about ezKatt Graphics. ezKatt a pseudonym that I used for my print work, graphics illustrations and early design work (sometimes painting) photography, and computer graphics.
Today it is mostly all about cats. Specifically Beanie the Magic Cat. Bean was born with more than his share of disabilities. I was fortunate to be able to capture his feral mom and her litter when the babies were just a couple of days old. It was clear from the start that Bean was not like the others. His back legs were hyperextended, he had no tail and he was unable to nurse without help. His mom Peggy was a great kitty mom. She let me hold him next to her so he could feed. As the kittens grew the others would run and play while Beanie sleep in his little bed. He could not keep up with them and so he didn't even try. Once they were eating solid food, I started taking Beanie to bed with me. By that time he was pulling himself up on everything and fearless.
We had many touch and go moments, and have always made it through. Today Beanie is fifteen years old. We have lost Peggy as well as his brother Daniel and sister Juniper. Sisters Lucy and Phoebe are still here, and they are fine.
Circling back around to the artwork, I wanted to do something special with all of the Beanie photographs and art I had amassed over the years. As I started to share Beanies story with my studio visitors, I knew that these bold colorful graphic designs would be the perfect way to do that. This is his personality. He is colorful, and bold and he endures.
I don't know how much longer I will have him, so this work is important to me. I hope it will bring a smile to your face as well.
From here in the little river valley, I feel like we are headed down the long trail once again. I look around at this world and I am sad and less hopeful. Maybe it is all of the information, so much despair. We are so talented as a species, I am perplexed by the fact that we are not living in harmony, not joyful and kind. That joy is found in destruction and kindness is a weakness of the flawed.
How do we turn it all around and save ourselves. Can we save ourselves. I know that I was saved by my art and a little helpless cat who needed someone to step up for him. Maybe in that way we can save each other. One kindness at a time.
Wishing you happy Joy!