Local artist uses talent to raise money for Palmerton Cat Project

gray and white cat named Minnie sits peering down into a glass fish bowl, where two fancy-tailed orange goldfish are swimming around, uninhibited by her presence.

That’s the scene Patty Passick created on canvas in an effort to raise money for The Palmerton Cat Project, an organization in the borough aimed at addressing the area’s feral cat issue.

Passick said she’d been wanting to fashion a painting for the project with the hope of raffling it off for years, but wasn’t able to make it a reality until last summer, when she finally sat down, came up with the idea and put brush to canvas.

“I did it because (Palmerton Cat Project has) a worthwhile endeavor that they’re taking on, to try to help the unwanted cat situation,” Passick said. “I’m an animal-rights activist, and I thought, ‘what can I do to support their efforts?’ ”

Before bringing the painting, called “Minnie and Friends,” to life, Passick was still an experienced artist. She studied ceramic sculpture and pottery at Slippery Rock University, later earning a teaching degree from Kutztown University. Now, Passick works as an art teacher for fourth through eighth graders at St. John Neumann Regional School.

Still, “Minnie and Friends” proved quite the feat for Passick, who only got into painting a few years ago.

“I really was not trained as a painter, but several years ago, I thought even though (it was) later in life, I wanted to paint,” Passick recalled. As a result, she started taking night painting classes at Parkland High School.

“It’s a present I gave to myself,” she added. “Later in life, if there’s something you want to do, or a passion, you can pursue it. It’s never too late, it seems.”

Before she started painting, Passick knew she wanted the piece to feature animals, as she typically paints scenes from nature. But she also wanted a challenge.

“I thought I would try to put the fishbowl in as a challenge for myself, because I had never painted glass before,” Passick recalled.

The painting took a few weeks to complete, but in the end, Passick said, the 24-by-12-inch acrylic painting turned into a work she’s proud of, as well as a means of supporting the Palmerton Cat Project.

“I think that when there’s an issue, sometimes people think ‘what can I do?’ ” Passick said. “People just have to look at their individual strengths to see where they can make a difference. And mine is artistically.”

Barbara Greenzweig, president of the Palmerton Cat Project, said that “Minnie and Friends” is valued at $250. Over the next two months, the painting will be displayed in different parts of Palmerton. Raffle tickets can be purchased by anyone hoping to make the painting their own, and proceeds raised will be donated to the project.

“We thought it would be a really nice way to highlight local businesses and local organizations while also highlighting what we’re doing,” Greenzweig said.

For now, the painting’s appearance schedule is set as follows: “Minnie and Friends” currently resides at This N That Finds U, a gift shop on Delaware Avenue in Palmerton.

The painting will be displayed there until Nov. 25. Then, on Dec. 1, it will be moved to the Bowmanstown Fire Co. for the company’s trivia night.

The next day, Dec. 2, “Minnie and Friends” will make an appearance at Photography by Lynn, located on Fireline Road, for its Winter Sip and Shop Event. In December, the painting is also slated to be displayed at Hager Furniture on Delaware Avenue and at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on Fireline Road.

Any Palmerton-area business or organization wanting to host “Minnie and Friends,” or hoping to buy raffle tickets can reach Greenzweig at 610 349-3545, or by mail, at Palmerton Cat Project, P.O. Box 24, Palmerton.