When I first heard about this Open Call I was a bit confused… “What the h… is a Festival of Cats?”

Well… good job I looked it up, because it turns out it’s an amazing art show I had no idea existed — and one that has spread far and wide, with tons of brilliant artists from all backgrounds, skill levels, media and ages taking part.

“Festival of Cats started as a satellite event for Turner Contemporary’s Journeys with The Waste Land exhibition in 2018. Born from a love of T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, and much like the book itself, the festival celebrates the psychology, sociology and whimsy of cats.

Festival of Cats is now a Thanet-wide event attracting thousands of visitors. The full festival takes place every two years, with pop-up events in between.”

I was fortunate enough to be selected to show one of my collages depicting my late grandmother-in-law’s babies ‘Whesley and Mitsy’. As this is the first time I’ve ever shown my work in public, I couldn’t be more excited.

The exhibition runs throughout April, with a Private View this Friday at the Pie Factory Gallery in Margate’s Old Town. So if you’re around, come along on Friday — or drop in during the exhibition — buy some artwork, support the “feline aficionados”, and spend a purrfect spring afternoon surrounded by art.