The Cat House - but not in the rude sense!

[Mike A]

There's a 16th century cottage, near the church in my village, called the Cat House, and here's how it got its name... In the 1880s, the occupant was an eccentric man called Bob Ward, who owned a canary. A churchman called Canon Woodard lived in a house nearby, and the Canon owned a cat. One day the Canon's cat got into Bob Ward's cottage and either killed his canary or (more likely) frightened it to death. Bob W was so angry, he decorated his cottage with metal plaques of a cat and a canary. He attached strings to a post, and hung shells, bones and metal bits from the string - which he pulled whenever the Canon passed by on his way to church. So the cottage became the Cat House, and is known as that to this day.

The path running up left past the cottage leads to the churchyard.

The painting was done using mainly ink, with some pastel and airbrush overlays - and a useful bit of pebbling from the Stickies tool. The thatched roof was made with thousands of individual dots on a grey background.

Cheers,

Mike

98260

[D Akey]

Your style works very well here at the cat house.

[Caesar]

I like very much the sense of light this painting, in its apparent simplicity, gives! Applause!

[Mike A]

Thanks to you both. One of the most important points for me, when illustrating buildings, is to get as accurate a sense of shadow as possible. It's the shadow that creates the "life".

[eighty+]

Hi. Mike A. Yes I like your. Work. And details overall. The only thing that upsets me. Is. The thatched Roof. Being so grey?? Ok CIAO HASTA LA VISTA. IVAYA CON DIOS. SLAINTE

[Mike A]

Cheers, eighty+ - yes, the thatch is indeed grey - weathered by the sun... and painted fairly accurately. When it was new, it would have been a light brown (reed) colour. And, of course, reed for thatching no longer comes from England in most cases - all from eastern Europe - so perhaps it ages differently.

All the best,

Mike (75+) :)

[eighty+]

Dave(901/2) Mike. Thanks for quick reply. It’s just that I’ve never seen a thatch of that colou along Southcoast So if possible wear is the cottage what country?? Ok it’s not that I’m disputing what you can see ? It’s just I’m intrigued. Ok. Well mike you will have to run fast. As lm
Hoping. To reach. The Ton:D. If I can dodge. The Reaper: D:D:D

[Mike A]

LOL! The Cat House is in Henfield, West Sussex, about 12 miles from you I guess. Not a lot of thatch in these parts - mainly Horsham slab and tile roofs. Anyway, I enclose a photo of the house from a slightly different view - you can see how the thatch has faded...

Cheers,

Mike (running fast but still not getting close to you... :cool:

98299

[eighty+]

Thanks Mike yes much more realistic. You’ve. Put some flowers in as well :D. Do you watch on the TV the Repair shop as it’s we’ll worth
Watching Think Hereford the barn they work in. Ok Sorry. Mike just read. It’s a photo But your copy must have taken some time. To do. Congrats

[Mike A]

Yes - most of my paintings take some time - hours and hours of quite painstaking slog! I'm trying to capture the feel of the building, but without modern clutter, and ArtRage has some useful tools to help me do so.

Yes, the Repair Shop is great fun. It's in an old barn in the Weald & Downland Museum near Chichester. Lots of lovely old buildings there! :p

Cheers,

Mike