For the past few months I have been hard at work on a very special event. It’s called Purrcasso, and it is a benefit art auction for the cats and dogs of the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society. I volunteered as part of last year’s committee and this year I have stepped up to co-chair with fellow volunteer, Julia Clayton.

So what goes into putting together a benefit art show? First, I decided we needed to update our name. In previous years it was actually “Purr-casso”. We lost the dash and haven’t looked back. Next, being an artist, I decided that we needed some sweet imagery that we could use to promote the show:

purrcasso09_hires_logoThen, being the blogger/web designer that I am, I decided we needed a sweet new blog /website to promote the event and connect with artists. I reserved purrcasso.org and got us set up with a blog through WordPress. (I then fell in love with WordPress and started my own blog there.)

Next came contacting artists. Once again we used the Internet to our advantage here, scouring email lists, blogs, craigslist, and Facebook to contact everyone I could think of that might be interested. I also hounded people at APE this year, which hopefully helped our cause.

Then we ‘sat back’ and let the submissions pour in. Artists are generally a friendly and generous group of people and I have heard from so many folks from around the world who want to help dogs and cats with their art. (Hey artists, you’ve still got until October 31 to get your work to me or the humane society!) In the meantime I have been posting like a mad man to the Purrcasso blog, trying to show off all the incredible work that we will have for sale.

So how do you get your hands on this stuff? On Nov. 7, 2009, we will be having our auction from 7-9:30 PM. Be warned that bidding ends at 9 PM. The next day will be a craft sale in the same location, from 12 to 4 pm.

Location:

1809 4th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(next to Bette’s Diner)

We are so excited to be on Fourth Street in Berkeley this year. If you’ve never been, it’s a perfect opportunity to come down early, do some holiday shopping, eat at one of their amazing restaurants, and have fun with me at the auction. And it’s conveniently within walking distance of my house!

Neato surprise auction piece: The artwork you see above will be produced as a giclee print and signed by me and auctioned off. I plan on inviting all participating artists who attend Purrcasso on Saturday night to draw/sign around the picture. This will be a one-of-a-kind valuable piece! Spread the word!