Snow Cat

Tamar, Yotam and Ran paid homage to the famous artist with this fantastic Snow Cat.

Then they picked up one of his prints to take home -- it will be hanging in an office in Sick Kid's Hospital, and we couldn't think of a better place for it, because it is sure to bring a smile to a child's face.

The purchase also lets him add Israel to his list of countries where his art is appreciated and collected. Mazeltof!

Feliz Navidad

It is Sofie's first visit to Canada. First time she has seen snow.  First time to build a snowman.

She is visiting from Brazil, and spending some time with family friends in Dorset.

They managed a quick visit to meet the artist -- and he was happy to give her a Christmas gift of one of his bracelets to take back to show her friends in Brazil.

It's always lovely to meet the 'fans.'

Like, Wow, Already

Napster got a Christmas Card from the Governor General.

That's because one of his prints is somewhere in the depths of Rideau Hall. Hopefully making people smile.

He was so delighted to get this, that there was nothing for it. It HAD to be displayed ont he mantlepiece!

Endings are Beginnings

Napster has been through a lot of life experiences. Not all have been pleasant. Living wild on whatever mice one can catch for dinner... Having one's ears shredded along the edges by nasty other cats... Getting wedged tight in a cat flap door... Suffering through several abscessed teeth... He has risen above it all, establishing himself not only as a wonderful cat-  anality but as a reknowned artist who is now sold all around the globe (except for South America... if you have friends in Patagonia, here's a hint for a Christmas gift) This autumn, however, he ran smack dab into a serious health issue. For reasons unknown, he developed glaucoma in his left eye. Several trips to Midland to visit the eye specialist "Dr. Sue", followed.  Bless her, she snapped up one of his prints in exchange for some of the necessary tests. Every penny helps when it comes to vet bills. As the eye deteriorated, the time came when it had to be removed. That took place at the Muskoka Animal Hospital in late November.    Napster is home from surgery, with rather a rakish piratical look about him. He is recovering well, with a lovely return of interest and energy. During the winter cold, his favourite place in the house is sitting on the back of one of the armchairs watching the birds at the feeder. Dreaming catly dreams. This week, he painted for the first time since back in the summer. All fall he was obviously more focused on his health. We think the work is stunningly lovely. Titled "Out of the Dark" to celebrate his return from that dark, painful episode, he is open to other title suggestions. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

 

The Next Chapter Begins

two macaws

Napster has been quiet on his Blog this autumn. Which doesn't mean he has not been very very busy.

But does mean, sadly, that he suffered a health issue. He developed glaucoma in one eye, and spent too much time commuting to the vet and the specialist. Then he had to get busy to sell some paintings to help finance the surgery that was required.

That mision is on-going. The cost of medicine is prohibitive. Long live OHIP for people!!! Wow.  If you were considering a purchase of his cards, or a print, now would be a helpful time.

Two Macaws, one of his new prints, has been very popular of late.

Seahorse. (bottom right side)

So too has Seahorse,  his underwater fantasy based on hours of watching Frilly Fish swim through the coral in his fishbowl.  It sold internationally to fans from South Africa.















aargh, matey

But the big news we now report is that he went for surgery to remove the diseased eye this week, and is now home, eating, sleeping, purring -- did we mention purring? -- walking outside, watching his birds at the feeder, studying his fish in the tank, cuddling with Taffy. And did we mention purring?

He is still of course in recuperative mode, and looks a little gnarly, but we are confident that he will be able to rock this new self image. He has overcome so much in his life, constantly rising above adversity.  One of his fans has already photo-shopped a suggested 'look' for him.

He has paws crossed that perhaps Johnny Depp will drop by, with the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean, to offer some encouraging words, and perhaps cast him in Pirates V...

I Got the Painting!

At the Lane's End Horse Trials in August, Napster was delighted to offer one of his prints, Yoga, Downward Dog, for the Silent Auction.

He always is keen to support Lane's End. He was born there, as a wild kitten in the hay barn. He was captured (literally, in mid-air leap), tamed, cared for, loved, before he tranferred to live with us at Bondi Village, where he was the only cat instead of one of several in the stable. It worked out well for everyone.

 

One of the competitors at the show, Kelly Plitz, is a dazzling artist in her own right. She creates big canvases, full of life and action, movement and colour, which she sells from her Dreamcrest Equestrian Centre in Port Perry.  A former Olympian with her amazing little mare Dial-A-Dream, Kelly now trains both horses and riders when she isn't working in her studio overlooking one of the indoor arenas.

Nancy was standing out on the cross country course, chatting with the course designer, when Kelly went galloping past.  Over her shoulder she shouted, "I GOT THE PAINTING!"

Because she was just that excited and pleased to be the successsful bidder on Napster's work.  He's thrilled, not just because the sale supported Lane's End in their fundraising for Breast Cancer Research, but because a fellow artist had given him such a thumbs up.

Napster Channels a Sea Dragon

We can't tell you a lot about the story, because that would be a 'spoiler', but Napster is currently negotiating a deal to help out a local author who has recently published his first YA Fiction novel, Alex Mortimer and the Beast of Wildeor.

It's a good, fun, fast-paced read, that gets around.  That said, a chunk of that getting around takes place right here in Muskoka, with connections to the S.S. Segwun.  You can read a review of it, from Good Reads.

Bryan Dearsley  gave Nancy a copy, which she read with enjoyment, and then left in the living room where Napster likes to spend his afternoons.
We were startled to discover that in one of his paintings, Napster had captured a likeness of the 'Beast' himself, the water dragon of Wildeor.
"Brillsome" was Bryan's comment.  We think the cat channels a lot - he has done some interesting work with various people and always reflects something that is important to them.

This print will be available soon as a postcard to help fundraise towards the publication of Bryan's sequel, The Tombs of Atlantis.

Off to Africa!

Napster is very excited to be able to add South Africa to his list of countries where his art is on display.

He had a gallery visit this week from Stan, Anita, Flora and Philip, and they took home a stack of notecards and a framed print of Autumn Fox.

The print is going to an art class -- but Anita is not going to tell the rest of the class who the artist is until AFTER they have commented. We wait to hear what they have to say!

Flora and Phil will be taking cards back to South Africa with them later this month. Perhaps they will become his agents on that beautiful continent!? 

Chairman Meow

Napster was fascinated by Adam's shirt -- Chairman Meow!

Daniel picked him up so he could get a closer look.

They were visiting us from England this summer. Learned how to make 'proper' s'mores, so look for those at the next block party 'back 'ome.'

Also picked up some of Napster's work to take as a hostess gift.

Behind them they left a cat who is now dreaming of Revolution...

Fans!

Always delighted to meet his fans, and to make new ones, Napster was honoured this summer to make friends with Maia, who purchased a copy of Anchors Away to decorate her room

And Charles, who was very taken with Here Be Dragons.  This is one of the very '
turnable' Napster prints -- hung vertically, it is called Just Dance... this way, the dragon's face is very clear, and when you flip it one more time, it becomes a school of goldfish. Very very versatile, and a great addition to Charles' existing Napster collection!

Napster also enjoyed a visit from young Kendra, who has yet to decide which of his paintings she would like Mom to get, but who brought the very best of pats along.

"Wow" in two languages

 Brushing up on his language arts, Napster was pleased this month to receive some cards from Lesley, for Eyes on Animals. This charity, based in Amsterdam, requested one of his designs, and is currently selling it in Europe to fundraise.




They selected "Skaters", because it has an obvious connection to the famous Dutch canals in winter.

The reverse of the card has Napster's Tale, told in both Dutch and German.

Lesley also has a great vegetarian cookbook that her charity has published. We have a limited number of copies available here at Bondi, for $20 each.

Napster is proud to be a part of this international association working for the welfare of farm animals.

Chuffed

Chuffed. We do believe that is the word.  Last summer, our friend Hulene selected one of Napster's prints to give to Mrs. David Johnston, the wife our our current Governor General.







She picked Equine Portrait/Rider by Moonlight, because Mrs. Gov. Gen. is an avid dressage rider, so there was a natural fit.

Napster was chuffed this week to receive a letter of acknowledgement from Rideau Hall. He hopes that they will enjoy his little offering. It is quite an appropriate piece for a rider, since turning the work keeps revealing wonderfully alive vignettes of horses -- galloping, in extended trot, or simply in profile.

This piece most recently auctioned on behalf of the Wind Dancer Pony Rescue Foundation for $155.00.

While he continues to fund raise for A Wing and a Prayer, and this month for the orphan fawn at the Aspen Valley Wildlife Centre, Napster is pleased this month to also provide prints for auction for the Interlaken Volunteer Fire Department and the Huntsville Cancer Society.

He is doing good things, that cat.

Just Dance

We are behind, with Napster's artwork. We do confess it.  In part because we have been kept busy keeping up with his orders.  So far, Napster has raised almost $500 for the orphaned fawn, so many thanks to those that have helped support that cause.

This is one of his newer works that I'm just now getting up on the Blog.

Titled JUST DANCE, we think it captures a wonderful sense of freedom and movement, and merely looking at it is enough to get your toes tapping.

Fawn-tastic!

She should be romping on our lawn, with her mom.

But she isn't.

This is the tiny fawn that we rescued about two weeks ago, on the advice from the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.

Normally you don't want to touch a fawn that is hiding in the grass. It is how they survive, and it is common for the doe to leave the fawn for several hours. Eleven, or even twelve hours , is not that unusual. Every year people find a fawn they think has been abandoned, and pick it up. It wasn't abandoned. It is so extremely rare that a doe will 'abandon' her baby, and they know far better than we do how to best care for them.

This little one, however, had been hiding under the same stem of bracken for over 24 hours. That's too long. Especially in the rain. Add to that the finding of a dead doe within 2000 yards of the hidden babe, and it adds up to trouble. Wildlife had been feasting on the dead deer, as they do, so the cause of death was indeterminate, but given the location it would appear most likely that she was struck by a car and suffered a broken pelvis, made it off the road a short distance, collapsed and died.

We called the experts at the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and followed their instructions, and little Fawn Bondi is now resident at their facility. The good news is that while we're sure she still wonders where her Mom is, is that she has two other fawns in her pen, and they are good friends and company for each other. Jan kindly went in to get some update photos for me -- as soon as she enters the pen, the babies come up to her wondering if its dinner time.

There are currently NINE fawns at the Sanctuary. And THREE tiny baby beavers. None of them are related. All of them demand time and money for their care. We have been trying to help out with some fundraising. Napster, our feline artist, has dedicated this month's proceeds to the Fawn. So far, he has raised $300 for the cause. Visit his Blog at www.napsterart.blogspot.com to see his artwork, and hopefully make an order. His cards, prints and bracelets are all available here at Bondi, as well as at the Dwight Library, and anything can be ordered through email to us as well.

If Feline art is not your thing, you can make a Pay Pal donation directly to the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.

It was most likely through human intervention that Fawn Bondi lost her mother. We're hoping that through a more beneficient intervention, she will one day be able to be released back into the wild where she belongs, strong and healthy. We're very grateful that there are wildlife sanctuaries here in Muskoka. Bear With Us works hard to rescue baby bears. A Wing and a Prayer is busting at the seams with injured birds and has gained international recognition for the work they have done with loons. Aspen Valley is home to a host of tiny creatures and a permanent home to many more that can never be released for various reasons, and Muskoka Wildlife Centre provides forever homes for many species, some being rehabilitated, some who cannot go back to the wild, becoming ambassadors through the many educational programs the Centre runs.

Three cheers for all of these wonderful volunteers and Centres. Let's see if we can, at the very least, help them pay for some of the necessary food items, and perhaps even build new safe habitats to help the babies learn about their natural world.

Bird on a Wire

The very latest artwork from Napster's talented tail.

Titled Bird on a Wire, it captures the vitality of the bird temporarily paused in flight.

We love the muted colours and movement in this piece.   Thanks to Deborah and Lesleigh, both artists themselves, who assembled the palette Napster used for this piece.

"Fawned"-Raising

This is the orphan fawn, in the foreground, that was found in Bondi's back fields. We also found the dead doe...  when you find a fawn, it is normally best just not to touch. Take some heart-touching photographs, and just let them be. But this one, with a dead doe nearby, had spent over 24 hours in the same spot, in the rain.  We called the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and they advised us that it was time to collect her and bring her in.

At the Sanctuary, she has found friends. There are five fawns currently in the nursery, and she is almost inseparable from this one. That's good. Life is a lot better with friends.

Napster has been fundraising, and so far has gathered in about $200 towards the fawn's care.  He is offering a discounted rate on all his work -- bracelets for $25; 10% off all his artwork.

Contact us through the Blog if you would like to purchase any of his works.  Or, if you simply have no room on the walls or on your wrist, the Sanctuary can take deposits directly.

Bay Watch

Landscape as muse...   When friends Deborah and Lesleigh were visiting, while presenting the delightful short play Her Wake at the local libraries, Napster spent some time chatting with them. Sitting with them. Sitting on them.

Time to get out the paints. He has been spending a lot of time of late on the balcony, enjoying the view.

And what Deb saw in this, his latest creation, is a landscape painting of the bay, seen with autumn trees in the foreground and far shore.

It is full of life and colour and joy, and we are happy to present it to his fans, under the title Bay Watch.

A Little Help is Needed for a Little Orphan

Bondi Resort BLOG: A Little Help is Needed for a Little Orphan: Nancy and Taffy (dog) and Blizzard (horse)  found this fawn when they were out in the back fields June 2nd at 4 p.m.  This was the third ...

Updates

Napster is pleased to report that his painting, Equine Portrait, sold for $155 at the Wind Dancer Pony Palooza.

Also, this summer, he will have available Cards in support of Eyes on Animals, a domestic animal welfare charity based in Amsterdam. These cards will be available here at Bondi Village, or through the Dwight Public Library.

His new line of bracelets are proving to be quite popular. Unique, lightweight and stylish, one has already been shipped off to England.  What a fun, lovely way to "Get your Napster On!"

Ciao Bella

Federica, a veterinary student from Milan, is in Canada on a working holiday. She's currently based at W-Ranch, in Nobel. That is where Nancy's mare All About Me is currently residing and being campaigned.

She came for a visit when Morgan and Chris brought some horses over to school on our Cross Country fences. And she wanted to meet the Painting Cat.

Napster was thrilled. He can now stick a pin in Italy on the map, as a place where his artwork is on display.

And it gave him a chance to practice another foreign language...

Pony Palooza - It was an honour to participate.

Last weekend, Napster's print "Dolphins Chase the Moon" (yes, the one he sent to Kate and HRH William as a wedding gift last year) went on auction at the Pony Palooza in aid of the Wind Dancer Pony Rescue.

This is a lovely little charity who's mission is to aid and protect ponies through rescue and education, to provide safe sanctuary and caring homes for ponies in need, and to promote the responsible stewardship of pony populations both domestic and wild.

The Wind Dancer Pony Rescue Foundation was established in March of 2011, dedicated to the memory of Isabel Dupuy, a talented young horsewoman.

Isabel was wise beyond her years and was determined to one day establish a pony rescue on her farm. She died at only eleven years of age but left a strong legacy in her dreams and determination to help ponies and to make the world a better place.

The Founding Board of Directors, led by Isabel’s mother, Dr. Paula Dupuy, are working towards making Isabel’s dream a reality. A charitable corporation, Wind Dancer Pony Rescue Foundation serves to help the unwanted pony both domestic and wild, to educate the public on the wonders of the pony and its care, and will be a place where the many facets of the equestrian community can come together.

Napster was thrilled to be invited to participate in their fundraiser this year, to honour the memory of Isabel.

He is even more thrilled to report that his print sold for $155.00, and the money will help Isabel's beloved ponies. Butterfly, fly away...

Converts!

Brian and Sue, from The Briars dropped in today. They had been at a social media seminar, and while there heard that Bondi Village had a cat who painted.

Not possible! -- that was the first thought. Closely followed by "This we've got to see."

So over they came after the seminar, and met the artist.  He was very gracious, as he always is with his fans.  His gallery was displayed. He purred, was petted and admired. Slipped sveltely through the cat-flap door just to show how slim and trim he is. 

They purchased several of his cards.  Brian is himself an artist. He teaches a watercolour class at The Briars, and we are hoping that he will drop by at a later date to paint with Napster.  The cat is pretty excited at the concept!

A Napster on the Wrist

Napster is delighted to announce the sale of two of his new line of bracelets.

These are customized -- you can select the painting that is the centre of the bracelet, and is bracketed by his portrait and his signature.




We're told that one of these will be wending its way to England.  They make an unusual and elegantly lovely gift.

And thanks to Cavalcade Colour Lab, Napster can offer them at $30 each.  His charities are very very excited by this news, too!

Go BIG

In response to a request for Napster art that is BIG... Napster proudly announces a line of Plaque Mount (Stand Out) prints.

11"X14", these are larger than his framed works. Mounted on a lightweight support, they are also much more economical to ship by mail, while preserving every detail of his pieces.

You can't have this one -- it is already SOLD and en route to Alex and his family in Richmond Hill!

These are special order items, $50.00 in total, so not much more than the $40 that will buy you a framed 8X10.

Contact us through the Blog, and Napster will arrange to have the print of your choice produced ready to hang on your wall.

His charities -- for whom he has raised just over $4000 -- are so very grateful!

A Napster on the Wrist

 Napster proudly unveils a new "line" of artwork items.

Joining his popular note-cards, and coveted prints (both framed and unframed)  he now offers a Bracelet.




The wide band features his portrait, and one of his prints.

Now you can have your Napster art and wear it too!

$40, plus shipping, will put a Napster on your wrist.  Be the first in your circle to sport this wearable art, and help support his circle of charities!  Last year Napster raised enough money to pay for an entire month of care for the Birds at A Wing and a Prayer, and also placed almost $1000 into the coffers of the Huntsville Animal Shelter.

Contact Nancy through the Blog to place an order.

Rotarians Rule

Bruce asked last year if Napster would support the Peterborough Rotary Auction.

The Cat was delighted to participate, and his artwork was a hotly contested item. Paula, the successful bidder, later drove up to meet the artist and acquire more of his art for her collection.

So when Bruce asked if Napster was "in" again for this year, of course he was Purrfectly happy to say Yes.  Bruce dropped by yesterday to collect the print -- he had friends with him who were experiencing a Canadian winter. They had been snowmobiling and dog sledding -- and finished it off with a gallery visit to the World Famous Napster.

The auction takes place at the end of February.  The print for sale is CARDINALS, which is a big favourite. We are still of the opinion that this would look really good as a label on the Muskoka Lakes Winery Cranberry wine bottles... so if you agree, you might mention that to the MLW folk...