Month: September 2012

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The cat collector or Kat-a-log part 3

Hi hi!

We hope that you had a great weekend. For us, it was one of the most busiest weekends we had so far this year. Mal was editing photos while Rita was out and about taking adventage of the Heritage Weekend (please keep your eyes open as she is going to write a detailed report very shortly) and Olympia was working hard to bring you the latest edition of the Kat-a-log. Forces combined and the brilliant pictures have been designed, taken and edited.

If you’d like to read the previous parts, plse click on the following links:

Kat-a-log Part 1:
https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/the-cat-collector-or-kat-a-log-part-1
Kat-a-log Part 2:
https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2012/09/07/the-cat-collector-or-kat-a-log-part-2/

The collection is growing rapidly with kittens being added almost every month. This entry is presenting the newest addition that joined the big feline family in recent days. Are you ready to meet them?

Kat-a-log Feline no.10
The two side of a cat: The Front View and The Back View.
Country of origin: Loudres, France
The cat hanging on the washing line is actually a mat, not a figurine. It was a present for our mom from Violet, one of Mal’s neighbours, bought during the religious trip to Loudres. Violet found it in a Saint Francis of Assis Pet Store that collects money for animal shelters by selling original gifts.  If you didn’t know, The World Animal Day is celebrated on the 4th of October, the feast day of Saint Francis, who is the patron of animals, ecology and the environment:)
Anyway, we love the mat to bits, and it will come really handy as Olympia is a proud owner of several tea mugs that feature cats! July 2012.

The Front View

The Back View

The Back View

Kat-a-log Feline no.11
The two side of a cat: Portrait with a bird and White heart, grey fur.
Country of origin: manufactured in China, bought on Malta
This little figurine has been found on Malta by Olympia and rescued from a store in Birkirkara that was being closed down. Nobody wanted it and its fate was looking grim. Luckily, it found a good home in Poland and he’s been happy there even since! He is Rita’s favourite’s among all cats presented in this issue of Kat-a-log!

Portrait with a bird

white_heart_grey_fur

White heart, grey fur

Kat-a-log Feline no.12
The two side of a cat: Light the way and Inside the red heart
Country of origin: manufactured in China, bought on Malta
This lovely ginger feline was also rescued by Olympia from a store in liquidation in Birkirkara, Malta. We must say, he looks extraordinary sweet on pictures! October, 2010

Light the way

Light the way

Inside the red heart

If you still haven’t had enough of them, here’s an additional picture that Malicia had taken of both cats posing together. We called it “All together now”! You can see the difference in size between the kittens.

All together now

Kat-a-log Feline no.13
The three sides of a cat: On the mantlepiece, White marble and The Royal Emblem
Country of origin: The Netherlands, bought in September 2012
It’s not a simple wooden sculpture but a 5 piece puzzle toy! It has been sculpted by artist Gabriel Peiffer in the Netherlands and travelled all the way  to Hereford as a part of the h.ART World of Artists market exhibition.
You can visit Gabriel Peiffer’s website here
http://www.woodendtoymakers.co.uk/index.php?page=9

On the mantlepiece

White Marble

All three pictures have been taken during the Heritage Weekend in the Hereford City Hall, the headquarters of the Herefordshire City Council. We wouln’t have the opportunity to take the last one, if it wasn’t for the kindness of the Mayor of Hereford himself, Councillor Denis Brian Wilcox JP. Mr Wilcox noticed Rita taking the pictures for the Kat-a-log and found the idea behind the project a truly fascinating one! He invited us to his Parlour and allowed to photograph our cat on the official Herefordshire emblem! We also learnt that only Hereford and The City of London are allowed to have three lions as their emplem! Isn’t it cool? Here you have  4 lions and one wooden cat!

The_royal_emblem

The royal emblem

All right, another issue of Kat-a-log is completed!
Rita is preparing a big report from the Heritage Days, so be sure to check out our next blog!
XoXo

Rita, Mal and Olympia Dabrowicz

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The cat collector or Kat-a-log part 2

Hello again!

Yesterday was a very busy day. The weather was beautiful and Rita decided to take three cats from our mom’s collection for a walk and photograph them in their “natural” environment. During the stroll, she stumbled upon a water football match on the River Wye, the opening of hART exhibition, made new friends and took a lot of pictures! The cat photo session lasted about 4 hours and she had to climb up and down the city walls to get the best results. Late night editing took two additional hours and now Rita needs to catch up on sleep. That’s the price you pay for the art!

If you haven’t read the first part of Kat-a-log, please click here to do so:
https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/the-cat-collector-or-kat-a-log-part-1/

In short, the titular cat collector is our mother, an artist and designer, Olympia Dabrowicz. A proud owner of two “real” cats named Salem and Michael (the second being a half persian black and white fluff of silliness), Olympia has always been mesmerized by cats: their ever-changing personalities, strange habits and gorgeous looks. No two cats are the same, a popular proverb says, and Olympia knows that better than anyone else. Her passion for purrs and paws led her to start an unique collection of felines from different cultures, countries and makers. A decade later, her house looks like a shrine dedicated to the cats and this is how the entire project was born. Yet, Kat-a-log is not a simple collection of pictures. Olympia would never be satisfied with it. She decided to take her kittens out and about and portray them as living creatures. They can be made from metal, porcelain, plastic or wood – but they come alive outside.

If you do not believe us, let the pictures do the talking! All shots were taken by Rita but were designed, supervised and selected by Olympia herself. There are three cats in this issue and each have been photographed three times. Three sides to every cat? You bet!

Kat-a-log Feline no.7
The three sides of a cat: Sitting on a fence, At the mason’s yard and Sunset at the Victoria Bridge.
Country of origin: UK.
Carved in wood by hand and decorated with colorful decoupage paper. The cat was bought on arts and crafts market in Hereford, from a local artist. August 2012.

Sitting on a fence

At the mason’s yard

Sunset at the Victoria Bridge

Kat-a-log Feline no.8
The three sides of a cat: Basking in the sun, The cat and the lion and Ivy hideaway.
Country of origin: Wales, UK.
Website: http://www.craftywithwelshcoal.co.uk

Hand carved and well-polished to receive a natural glow, the kitten is a unique piece in Olympia’s collection. It has been made from Welsh coal by acclaimed artist and sculptor Keith Price. This small figurine can be used as a pawn in the game of chess and is a part of the bigger set of cat-chess. Each figurine can be purchased separately or together with other pieces and the elaborately decorated coal board. It was given as a gift from Herefordian museum curator in July 2012.

Basking in the sun

The cat and the lion

Ivy hideaway

Kat-a-log Feline no.8
The three sides of a cat:  Posing with a flower, Waking up! and On a lazy day.
Country of origin: UK, The Juliana Collection, found in June 2012

This cat came into our mother possession in quite a peculiar way. It was lent to local library for an exhibition by one of the readers and they never came back to reclaim it. Poor feline spent several years in the cupboard among odds and ends and other strange bits until one of the workers remembered about it and gave it to Rita. At first, the cat was thought to be a vintage trinkets box from the 70’s, but after research online, Rita established that it is much newer – manufactured probably in late 90’s. It was made by Juliana Collection and came in this original box:

Treasured trinkets cover and box

The cat is made from enameled metal with crystal finish and decorated with tiny gems on both sides. It opens up (it is a small box not a figurine) and you can hide your treasured possessions there. Despite looking all lovely and light, it is quite heavy. Once homeless, it was adopted into the Kat-a-log in June 2012.

Posing with a flower

Waking up!

On a lazy day

Make sure to come back soon, as the part three is almost ready!
We have many kats in our bags, you know!

Have a puurfect day,

Mal, Rita and Olympia Dabrowicz

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The Moo Project Part Three

Hihi!

Welcome again, to the third, and sadly the last part of The Moo Project. To be honest, we are a bit surprised how popular the series turned out to be. It seems people just love when cattle and art come together! The majority of our readers were from the UK (no surprise here as Herefordians like to read about themselves!) but other visitors came from USA, Thailand, Canada, Malaysia and even Korea. The cows went viral and are grazing on the green pastues of the world wide web 😀

If you missed the previous entries here are the links:
Part I – https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/the-moo-project/
Part II – https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/the-moo-project-part-two/

Now, let’s us introduce the last batch of artworks:

Moo number 41 aka The Orchard Cow – Hereford is hardly the garden of Eden, but we have lots of apple orchards. We like how the artist painted the apples – great idea for a T-shirt!

The Orchard Moo

Moo number 42 aka The Unknown Cow – we are not sure what exactly this moo represents. Life  in Herefordshire is full of “???” so it’s better not to take a blind quess. Let it be whatever you want.

The Unknown Moo

Moo number 43 aka The Jackson Pollock Cow – one of Rita’s favourites, hence the name. Brilliant storm of colours and shades. We can see it being exhibited in MoMA 🙂

The Jackson Pollock Moo

Moo number 44 aka The Natural Cow – apple tree  in the back, flowers in the middle, butterflies and sunshine for an eye, the natural beauty of Herefordshire painted on a cow.

The Natural Moo

Moo number 45 aka The Trail Cow – the black and white villages trail is a popular tourist attraction. In reality, the houses were not black and white at all – but all different possible colours. A typical trail house can be seen painted here.

The Trail Moo

Moo number 46 aka The Poetry Cow – teenage angst in all its splendor and glory. Grafitti and poetry gratis.

The Poetry Moo

Moo number 47 aka The Ballet Cow – a dancing cow, we haven’t had one yet!

The Ballet Moo

 Moo number 48 aka The Geometry Cow – very useful durnig math class!

The Geometry Moo

Moo number 49 aka The Handy Cow – a very handy cow designed by Jack. Simple but fun design.

The Handy Moo

Moo number 50 aka the Stripes Cow – in Red, White and Blue. The great gift to the American People from the citizens of Hereford.

The Stripes Moo

Moo number 51 aka The Mappa Mundi Cow – fascinating design that reminds us of the Mappa Mundi kept in the Cathedral. We can see mysterious buildings and some strange looking creatures. RPG anyone?

The Mappa Mundi Moo

Moo number 52 aka The Impressionism Cow – one of the most professionally painted artworks in the entire collection. Very melancholic yet beautiful.

The Impressionism Moo

Moo number 53 aka  The Landscape cow – very similar to the previous picture, almost professional work. Herefordshire landscapes at sunset – a true bliss.

The Landscape Moo

Moo number 54 aka The Cartoon Cow – we see a great idea for a comic book cover here!

The Cartoon Moo

Moo number 55 aka The Typical Hereford Cow – Hereford in a nutshell, except for the sunshine. We don’t get much of it. It always rain here.

The Typical Hereford Moo

Moo number 56 aka The Yet-Another-Bridge Cow – nothing much here but a bridge and green grass.

The Yet-Another-Bridge Moo

Moo number 57 aka The Cherry Blossom Cow – this one is turning Japanese, we really think so!

The Cherry Blossom Moo

Moo number 58 aka The Fruit Cow – a short illustrated guide for orchard owners: first you have the flowers, then the fruits.

The Fruit Moo

Moo number 59 aka  The  Advertising Moo – This new artwork has appeared in the city centre recently on a huge billboard encouraging people to shop in Hereford. Sex sells? Not  here! We have cows!

The Advertising moo

And here is the full advert. Very nice, don’t ya think?

The full advert featuring our moo

Moo number 60 aka The Credits – If you want to blame somebody for having to scroll through three entries of this blog, here is the list of people responsible for it! 🙂

The Moo Credits

Congratulation, you have just finished the cattle introduction to Hereford and Herefordian art.

A big thank you to all artists and teachers, you did a splendid job and gave us a lot to write about.

Jollygood!

xoxoxo
Rita and Mal

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The Moo Project Part Two

Aye everybody!

Welcome back to the second part of The Moo Project. First post in September, time for harvest and we cannot think of any better excuse to serve you a big dose of the country side. This morning, on her way to work, Rita saw at least three tractors, two horse carriers and one mega big combine harvester that nearly crashed into a building while taking a U-turn 😀
Oh the joy of living in rural part of the United Kingdom.

If you’d like to see the part one, click here:
https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/the-moo-project/

For Part three, click here:
https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/the-moo-project-part-three/

But now, let’s us continue:

Moo number 21 aka The Skyline Cow – one of the most interesting artworks in the whole series. The skyline captures two of the most famous Herefordian landmarks: The Cathedral and The All Saints church.  Who needs Waterloo sunset, right?

The Skyline Moo

Moo number 22 aka The Postcard cow – Herefordshire looks lovely on postcards, no doubt about it. The further you are from there, the prettier it gets.

The Postcard Moo

Moo number 23 aka The Captain Obvious Cow – as the title says, Captain Obvious to the rescue!

The Captain Obvious Moo

Moo number 24 aka The All-And-Nothing Cow – it’s not all or nothing, it’s all and nothing. Hereford seems to have it all, but when you look closely, there’s nothing there!

The All-And-Nothing Moo

Moo number 25 aka The High Street Fashion Cow – Wellingtons and ties go well together! (Somebody call Trinny and Susannah! Pronto!)

The High Street Fashion Moo

Moo number 26 aka the Tractor Cow – if you ever find strange circles in your field, fear not. It’s just a tractor, not the Green Men.

The Tractor Moo

Moo number 27 aka The military Base Cow – Ohhhhh you’re out of the army, now. The base is closing down and is being turned into housing association.

The Military Base Moo

Moo number 28 aka The Patchwork Cow – a  little bit of everything on very limited space.

The Patchwork Moo

Moo number 28 aka The Abstract Cow – art can be abstract, but life here is just plain bizzare.

The Abstract Moo

Moo number 29 aka The Flower (Power) Cow –  Hereford grounds maintanance team in local Council is doing a good job!

The Flower (Power) Moo

Moo number 30 aka The Middle of Nowhere Cow – literally. A lone cow in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere…

The Middle of Nowhere Moo

Moo number 31 aka The Rowing cow – a popular past time among Herefordians, rowing on the River Wye. A good mean of trasport if you cannot rely on the bus. Gets you out of here quite quickly as well.

The Rowing Moo

Moo number 32 aka The Something Fishy Cow – we have to admit, we have no idea why somebody would draw fish on a cow in the first place. There is something fishy about all those fish!

The Something Fishy Moo

Moo number 33 aka The Something Even More Fishy Cow – another cow and even more fish and Rita hasn’t seen even one in the river!

The Something Even More Fishy Moo

Moo number 34 aka The Swan Cow – fish and one swan. Rita has seen swans so it’s ok. She is still feeling weird about the fish anyway!

The Swan Moo

Moo number 35 aka The Two Swan Cow – no fish on this picture, but two swans and three swallows. Very romantic.

The Two Swan Moo

Moo number 36 aka The Swans Cow Part III – what’s wrong with you artists? Swans and fish? We are really, really concern now. The artwork would make a great coat of arms by the way!

The Swans Moo Part III

Moo number 37 aka The Gardening Cow – a cow coming up roses? Who would have thought! Hereford has a beautiful rose garden right next to Order of St. John and Conningsby Museum.

The Gardening Moo

Moo number 38 aka The Sad Cow – or maybe sad cows perhaps as we have many moo’s on this picture. They look aroundand they are not pleased. We are not thrilled either.

The Sad Moo

Moo number 39 aka The Football Cow – now you know how many football balls can be put on a cow 🙂

The Football Moo

Moo number 40 aka The Disco Cow – a brilliantly strange cow in disco neon colours!

The Disco Moo

We are done for now, the part three will be uploaded shortly so please be on the look out.
If you are not tired of all the cows yet, that is.

Mooo’s and Mwah’s
Rita and Mal