Many of you who have been following Cat Chat for a while, know that I come from a family where the patriarch was a gifted and brilliant Editorial Cartoonist. Having an artistically gifted father was so much a part of my life, that at the tender age of five I glared at a friend's father with disgust, when after I asked him to draw me a picture of Mickey Mouse he stated that he couldn't. I was aghast. What did he mean he COULDN'T? Didn't ALL fathers know how to draw? I guess not. "Bee-Wildered" When I was contacted a few weeks ago via LinkedIn by a gentleman named Sean Patterson asking if I would be interested in viewing his father's work, the first thing that touched me was this proud son, who possessed the passion of wanting to share his father's artistic gift with the world. I could relate. He had piqued my interest. Sean emailed me samples of his father's work and links to his website. To say that I was captivated is an understatement. I was mesmerized, smitten, I fell head-over-heels (or should I say paws) in love with the creations of Sean's father, Gary Patterson, "Creator of Smiles". I nodded in recognition when I visited Gary's website and discovered that Gary wanted to be a professional artist for as long as he could remember. Gary's father was a cartoonist for the Navy and the Los Angeles Fire Department and he used to stand by his father's drawing board watching him draw and wanted to do the same. As a little girl, so did I. My dream was to "draw like my Dad" and write and illustrate a children's book, but for me, life went in another direction. Let's be honest here, if I had one iota of the talent that Gary Patterson has I would have written/drawn 50 books by now! Gary Patterson from his website Gary's style reflects what I can only WISH that I could do. Drawings/cartoons that are not only hilarious, but to me, are visual perfection. They fill my heart with delight. Gary's depiction of cats are now my absolute favorites. The comical expressions on the faces of the cats that he draws are often cherubic and chubby. One of many things that I love about Gary's drawings of cats is that it isn't just black or white cats that are featured. He draws orange cats, tabby cats, gray cats and every cat in-between! Gary is spot-on in his drawings of cats because he captures what makes cats, CATS, their essence their "purrsona". Other than being incredibly gifted, Gary probably is better able to capture the essence of cats, because he is "owned" by 2 cats. He has a cat named Bandit who "likes to walk in the rain on a leash" and "enjoys riding in the car with his head out the window like a dog". "Dogs Eat, Cats Dine" I could sit and look at his work for hours. They make me smile, they touch my heart. They don't call Gary the "Creator of Smiles" for nuthin my friends! "Boo" While viewing Gary's work you will notice the presence of another creature: a MOUSE! Sometimes you have to look closely, but he is always there! The mouse is named "Boo" and Gary first "met" him in 1982 when he was "sitting at his drawing board on New Years' Eve" trying to finish a deadline and was feeling lonely. Out of nowhere a mouse appeared and sat by his drawing board. The rest is history. After agreeing to feature Gary on Cat Chat, I was sent the most incredible box of goodies that I could ever imagine! I received a precious magnet, note pads and a book that Gary illustrated called Cat Laughs. (you can view the magnets, notepads and so much more on Gary's online store by clicking here) From Cat Laughs: "Enjoy funny stories and quotes and this laugh-out-loud collection of cartoons. And only here will you discover the top 10 things cats do when you aren't looking." This book may be pint-sized in stature, but that is the only thing SMALL about it. It is jam-packed with quotes, stories, humor, it is the purrfect gift for any occasion for the cat lovers in your life. Mine is signed by Gary and will have a place of honor, not just on my book shelf in my office, but on my desk. It's THAT delightful. Happy Valentine's Day Guess what? Because WE LOVE YOU and because Sean is incredibly generous and Valentine's Day is this week, we are having a GIVE-AWAY!!! TWELVE PEOPLE from the U.S. and/or Canada will be chosen to win a copy of Cat Laughs for themselves! (A $9.99 value). The winners will be chosen by www.random.org. THE GIVE-AWAY BEGINS NOW and will END at 5pm Monday, February 18th. Winners will be announced WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20th. TO ENTER: Leave a comment telling me what it is that YOUR cat does to make YOU laugh. Be sure I have a way to contact you should you be one of the lucky 12 winners! Good luck and enjoy a couple of snippets from the book to tide you over: "They say the test of literary power is whether a man can write an inscription. I say, "Can he name a kitten?" Samuel Butler "Cats love one so much-more than they will allow. But they have so much wisdom they keep it to themselves." Mary E. Wilkins Freeman To purchase Cat Laughs click here In full disclosure: I was not compensated for this post or give-away. Gary's son Sean sent me the items listed in the blog post as a thank you for featuring his Dad on Cat Chat. It was my immense pleasure to do so!