"Fire Cat" Step 2 drawing B	"Fire Cat" Step 3 soft pastel	"Fire Cat" Step 4 soft pastel

My next step was to begin to block in the background building and negative space with color. I then started to add underpainting tones to the cat in varying shades and colors of gray, and then proceeded to add the foreground color to the mix. I chose blue as blue is the symbol of hope and new beginnings. This completed Step 3. I did not work on the eyes, I will save them for last.

My next Step was to begin to lighten the background building to make it fade away. I layered 3 differnt shades of violet to push the building back and then scumbled a light purple pastel over the whole building to blurr it more. This is where I have stopped for today...     Comments

More Notes About the Fire Cat:

According to a newspaper article... The big gray and white tiger cat showed marks and singes resulting from the flames. He was usually an immaculate cat and good natured. His age was unknown. He lived primarily at the shoe shop, the grist mill and a few of the nearer stores in the downtown Kennebunk area. He liked where he lived and could not be persuaded to leave. During the fire, which started in the shoe factory, he stayed until the last possible minute, then 'calmly stalked away.' A fund was raised for his perpetual care... He was called the "valuable and steadfast friend of the ruined four corners." He survived the fire and became a celebrity of sorts, and was written about in the newspaper. His image was found in a collage at the Kennebunk Central Fire Station, about 15 years ago, centered in a group of photos of the fire of 1903. He indeed is a symbol of hope.

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

"Fire Cat" archive photo	"Fire Cat" Step 1 - drawing, A 13" x 13"

Above you will see an archival image of the Kennebunk 'fire cat.' My interpretation of the image will be part of the Brick Store Museum's exhibition A Brush with History: Artistic Interpretations of Archival Images. The show is an exhibition of artwork inspired by archival prints from the museum's vast collection of vintage photographs and classic postcards. Local artists, including myself, have selected images for their inspiration and singular interpretations.

The 'fire cat' is perfect for me! I will post more about the cat later. As you can see I have the image drawn, ready to pastel. I wanted to have some faint imagery in the background to hint at the fact that this is the Kennebunk fire cat, that survived the Great Fire of 1903. The options I considered were to transpose part of the the actual fire scene in the background, incorporate fire fighting implements like a water bucket and fireman's helmet, put shadows with flames and the silhouette of a fireman, and lastly include part of the Davis Shoe Factory where the fire started and where the cat lived.

Background Information:

May 3, 1903 fire took the largest employer in town, the Davis Shoe Factory. It also consumed the light plant and many of the buildings at the bridge in Kennebunk, at the intersections of Main, Water and Storer Streets. No lives were lost but the impact on the economy of Kennebunk was significant. Photographer B.J. Whitcomb was at the scene of the fire and captured the devastation with his camera including this image of the cat. This stray gray and white cat miraculously survived the blaze and became a symbol of hope for the future of Kennebunk.     Comments