Beverly Garland
Beverly Garland’s YouTube Channel and job, “I Love To Draw Cats” is a multiple winner. Most recently she was a triple threat in this year’s Cat Writers Association Muse Awards. Her YouTube channel shows Beverly, the pencil artist, in action. She tells stories about the cats she draws them for her adoring fans.
ILoveToDrawCats’ YouTube channel and (https://www.youtube.com/c/ILoveToDrawCats) won:
The MUSE Medallion for the “Social Media Excellence: Humor and Entertainment” category.
Her video drawing Jugg, the Tortie Pet Portrait (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAeBkuyO4G0) was presented with the Kari Winters’ Rescue and Rehabilitation Award, and The CWA President’s Award (“Best of the Best” of all MUSE winners)
Deb Barnes, who served as President for the Cat Writers Association through September 2020, awarded “Jugg” and Beverly’s YouTube Channel the “Best of the Best” Award, because “this entry captured my heart with its compelling use of storytelling, drawing, and videography…..I enjoyed each and every video portrait immensely, admiring the talents of this very creative artist who uses our current technologies so well….
“The drawings are exquisite works of art and the use of colored pencils to create the finest of details – from the delicate wisp of a whisker to the beautiful twinkle in the cat’s eye, the window to the soul of a cat, each drawing is beautifully representative of the commissioned cat, becoming a treasured, keepsake, work of art.”
Ms. Garland is a self-taught artist, whose cat portrait business developed organically through a confluence of events and circumstances, became a reality at the beginning of 2019. “I was interviewing people about their beloved cats, making drawings, and editing together videos for each one. It was my dream job!”
Whatever Beverly’s worked at, cats found their ways into her focus. She earned her Masters’ Degree in Geography and the Environment, in part, by writing her thesis on feral cats! She was deeply involved in Trap-Neuter-Return, even taught TNR classes for Spay Austin.
With roots in Illinois and Texas, Beverly’s been living and traveling with her partner, Cobra, and one of her senior cats, in a retired school bus! “We usually cover 5000-plus miles each year. Creating cat portraits is the perfect business to do on the road in a confined space.”
The Cat Writers Association is a Global Cat-centric professional organization, dedicated to excellence in written, visual, and audio media. The CWA is an organization that supports existing members and seeks to mentor those new to the profession. Its goal–since 1992 – is to improve the quality of cat information for the general public and to inspire, educate, and inform. Visit catwriters.org.