Whitby in Bloom with Cats!

This month it’s all about buzzing bees, gardens, and flowers. Why? Because, Whitby is a finalist in this year’s Britain in Bloom! To celebrate, the people from Whitby in Bloom have a special challenge for shops and businesses in the town. The street where Whitby Galleries are located is so narrow that it’s impossible to have hanging baskets or planters outside, so instead they have to create a window display. The theme is ‘Bee Bloomin’ Happy’ and that’s where I come in.

Clockwise from top left: Roses & Honey, Guarding the Hive, 12 Bumblebee Lane, and Busy Little Bee

I’d been asked to create a few Whitby in Bloom inspired paintings and include them in my latest order for use in their window display. Just under half of the new kitty paintings are bee themed but the floral theme spilled out in to a few more, and there’s even an allotment!

The bee themed paintings range from around 10% bee to full on bee. They include a sleepy tuxedo cat guarding a swarm as they buzz around their beehive, a kitty watching a bee fly from flower to flower, and a tux eyeing up some jars of homemade honey.

Clockwise from top left: A Bed Made for Two, The Allotment, and Henry with Roses

The allotment cat with his veggies was a special request from one of the lovely ladies that work at Whitby Galleries. Hope she likes it! Although the rest of this order contains my usually house cats, as I mentioned earlier, the flowers make an appearance in these one too in the form of a vase of roses, and some lovely flower wallpaper.

Clockwise from top left: A Bit of a Squeeze, Learning to Share, and Pots and Pans

Only three of the paintings from this order have remained free of flowers or bees. My infamous ‘cat’s butt stuck in a cat flap‘ makes another appearance. It’s been a while since I painted one of these as it always proves very popular. You may have also noticed that there are a lot of black and white cats this month. They seem to be more popular than the tabbies and all black (or white) cats so I’ve only included a few of those this time around.

Bee Happy Whitby!

Judging for the Whitby in Bloom Window Display Contest is due to take place from July 31st. There’s going to be a route map that people can follow around town, and with the huge social media aspect both Whitby Galleries and the other entrants are hoping to see plenty of ‘Bee Happy Selfies’ from visitors and locals!

There’s going to be a big social media aspect to it – the hashtag is #BeeHappyWhitby.

Personally I can’t wait to see what Whitby Galleries’ window display will look like! They’ve promised to share some photos so I’ll make sure I share them with you as soon as I can. Don’t forget to join in the fun on twitter, instagram and facebook when the judging date draws near!

Interested in buying a painting?

First, thank you. You are awesome! Second, they’ll be going up for sale at Whitby Galleries very soon. You can find them at 134-135 Church Street in Whitby, UK. Orders can be taken by phone or email and home delivery in the UK can be arranged. If you live outside of the UK please contact them about overseas delivery.

• Professionally framed and mounted
• Artwork measures 5 x 5 inches (approx.)
• £55 each

Please contact the galleries directly or more information. Especially if you are interested in buying one of the bee themed ones as I imagine they won’t ‘bee’ for immediate sale.