Sign in Subscribe

Joy MacFadyen

First cat portrait? -

First cat portrait? -

It seems that this is one of the earliest, if not the first, cat portrait. Although the name MacFadyen can be seen signed on many works there is very little in the way of dates on Joy’s paintings. My own estimation is that this piece was painted in the

Fat Emma and Cory -

Fat Emma and Cory -

“These are the two naughty cats that get me up at 5 a.m. every day in order to have their breakfast.”

Feral cat care -

Feral cat care -

“This cat belongs to my niece, Ray, who lives in South Africa. Ray is one of those caring people who always responds to a need and, in this case, she mobilized a team of like-minded friends to help save, neuter and find homes for hundreds of feral cats in

Geese -

Geese -

“During one of my trips to South Africa we visited some family friends on the south coast where I snapped a shot of these geese walking by their kitchen window. To see this painting always takes me back in time.”

Catscan -

Catscan -

“This is Cory – the bane of Emma’s life. She is very jealous of him. I put the portrait of Cory into a show with the caption CATSCAN and suggested that viewers could stare into his eyes for 5 seconds and then get the results of their scan out of

A memorial Dog Portrait -

A memorial Dog Portrait -

Lynne Atkinson had worked with Joy back in the days of Arts Scarborough, and this is a memorial portrait of her dog. The dog looks majestic in its pose and brushstrokers are contoured enough to help define the form

Sausages.... -

Sausages.... -

Joy judged herself a ‘cat person’ although she would have liked to have had a dog except for the necessary walks. Despite her preference Joy certainly caught the character of these sausage dogs painted for a friend.

The neighbour's cat Sophie -

The neighbour's cat Sophie -

Joy fed the neighbour’s cat Sophie when they were away and as a surprise she painted Sophie’s portrait. Upon their return they found Sophie on top of the cabinet!