Thank you to all my supporters for helping me make this project a success! I sent out information requests, but they may not have come through correctly. If not, please feel free to call me at 443-286-3233, or e-mail me with any questions, cathy.harville@gmail.com.

For those of you receiving matted prints, you have a choice of a farm scene, riverscape, seascape, dunes, or beach scene. If you are receiving a book, please let me know how you would like me to sign it. And, if you want to pick out a few pictures from the book for your print, that is fine, too.

Thank you all so much! And - if you still want to contribute, you still can!

Many thanks, and I will be fulfill the rewards within the next few weeks.

Artfully yours,

Cathy Harville

I am pleased to announce I am fully backed! even though I have met my goal, i could still use your pledges to allow me to print more books to sell at cost, making them more accessible to the public. As always, the price of everything keeps rising, even as this project was moving forward.

I believe art should be affordable and accessible to everyone. I try to keep my paintings priced as low as possible, and I am doing the same with my new book. My goal is to sell it at my cost, which I cannot do unless I receive your support!

Also - for just a $10 donation, you will receive advertising on my website and blog! I will even write a small advertorial, based on your submission! How often can you get web advertising for such a low cost?

I will also link backer's websites to mine, if you wish. So when clients visit my website, they can click on your link to visit your website. I will leave the link active for as long as it is approved by you.

Thanks to all of you who so generously donated funds to make my book a reality! After May 24th, I will be fulfilling rewards. While I will do this as quickly as possible, please be patient - I have about 20 donors so far to give out rewards to, so it will take some time.

Thank you again for all your support, friendship, and validation of my artistic efforts!

Artfully yours,

Cathy Harville

Greetings all,

I am so excited that the director of Artspan, Eric Sparre, the foremost artist website representation firm, has made a pledge to my book project!

I have used Artspan for years, and it is a great host for artists' websites. It is easy to use, the customer service is excellent, and you don't have to know website design or HTML to use it. If you are an artist struggling with maintaining a website, or are paying a design firm to maintain your site, I suggest you give Artspan a try. And, mention code 11794, and get two months free! Go to www.artspan.com to learn more!

I want to thank Eric for his generosity, and for the oustanding service I have received as a client.

Life IS good!

Cathy Harville

Greetings friends,

My book, "When Land Meets the Sea", is complete, and is for sale on Blurb! It features more than 50 pieces of artwork, and stories that will inspire you, bring back memories, or just make you laugh!

With the unfortunate oil leaks in the Gulf of Mexico now threatening hundreds of miles of environmentally important coastlines, my book is now more timely than ever. "When Land Meets the Sea" focuses on the multitude of ecosystems that make up our coastlines, and how we may become better stewards of these precious places. In the third printing of my book, I plan to mention the ongoing oil spill, and things we can do locally to minimize the oil and fuel that makes its way into our waterways.

I also will make a contribution to the clean-up fund for taking care of wildlife that is affected by the spill. But I can only do this if I receive full funding by May 24th! Please spread the word to your friends, your family, the people in line at the grocery store - everyone can make a difference! Pledges start at just $1, and every dollar gets us closer to our goal!

Please enjoy the following new paintings, as you think of ways to help us meet our funding goal. I thank each of you that has contributed to my project, and I can't wait to give out the rewards! I am looking forward to having a great party in June for the $300+ backers, and celebrating in style!

Please call me or e-mail me if you have any questions. I know some of you have had difficulty making pledges through Amazon. If you want to send me a check, that will be fine - I will give out my contact info below.

Thank you again for your kind and generous support!

Cathy Harville
1678 Preakness Dr.
Gambrills, MD 21054
443.286.3233
410.923.0808
cathy.harville@gmail.com

Greetings everyone,

I am now half-way to my goal, thanks to all my backers! For those of you who are sending checks, I have put them into a credit card, and they will not be cashed unless I reach full funding. I sincerely appreciate everyone's support, and I know that pledging is a bit difficult online for a lot of people. So I will just hold onto the checks until May 24th - the "Day of Truth"! We have 49 days to go for accepting pledges, and to meet our goal.

I have self-published my book on Blurb, so you can get an idea of what it is all about. You may even purchase a copy, if you like! (I apologize upfront for the hefty price tag - that is one reason I am raising funds - so that I can offer the book at a lower price point.)

After the fund raising is over, I will be making small edits, to give credit to backers, and perhaps add a painting or two. I plan to meet with a publisher soon, and I will let you know how that all turns out!

I hope everyone is enjoying this warm weather -
Artfully yours,

Cathy Harville

Greetings,

My book is now ready on Blurb for previews and purchases! Blurb is a website for self-publishing. I would be interested in what you think, and I welcome all comments, good, bad and ugly! Since this is my first book, there is no doubt lots of room for improvement.

You can buy the book from Blurb - that would be sweet! But if you fund my project, it will enable me to order a large quantity of books at a discount, to distribute as rewards, and sell at cost in my studio. Plus, they would be hand signed by me, with a sentiment of your choice.

Ultimately, I would like to use the funds from the project to work with a real, live publisher, so my book could be offered to a wider audience, and maybe even sold through book stores. It would have an ISBN number, and a SKU! I plan to meet with a local publisher, and discuss details in the next few weeks.

Of course, none of this will be a reality without your support. I want to thank those who are already backing my project. If the Amazon, online method of pledging is too confusing or time consuming for you to make a pledge, please ask me for help, or write me a check - I won't cash it unless I am fully funded. Even a few dollars will greatly help.

And please spread the word by telling all your friends! If 10 people each told 10 people, that would be 90 new, potential backers. And if half of them donated only $10, that would put me much closer to my goal.

Click on the link above to see my book on Blurb!

In life, we all get back far more than we give out. As my mom alway says, what goes around, comes around. If we all help each other, we can accomplish great things.

Thank you, and cheers,

Cathy Harville

Greetings,

First, I want to thank my generous backers, who give me the hope that my project will be fully funded by the deadline. I appreciate all your generosity, and I am humbled by the outpouring of support. Please continue to spread the word!

I am pleased to let you know that I have finished my book, and it is in the hands of my editor. I hope to have it posted on Blurb by mid-April, a self-publishing website that provides publishing services to authors who cannot pay the big bucks for a publishing house. Even so, self-publishing is costly, so your contributions will help make this project happen!

The book will be hard cover with a jacket, 8"X10" page size, and the total page count is 50 pages. Almost every page has an image of one of my paintings.

I can't wait to reveal it to the world!

Artfully yours,

Cathy Harville

First, thank you to all my backers! I am about 20% funded, with enough time remaining to gain full backing. I am optimistic that I can achieve that goal! If you have any questions, or want more information, I will be happy to talk with you about my vision.

I would like to discuss "calm waters", and make a personal analogy in my life. In nature, calm waters are important for many reasons. Wakes from boats can destroy river grasses, and waves eat away at coastlines. When the water is calm, sea birds and herons can find fish easier, and turtles can bask in the sun on a log, without worrying about being washed away.

The past two weeks of my life, the water has been rough. I had an episode of bipolar depression that required a hospital stay, and will require a lengthy recovery period at home. While in the hospital, I learned calming techniques, to quiet the mind and body. Like rough water, depression and all illness can eat away at our lives, and create havoc. Since I have had several such episodes, I am finally learning the value of calmness in my life.

I only mention this because it shows how the universe is tied together. As humans, we are healthiest when we are calm. When adrenaline is rushing, and cortisol is clogging our arteries, we react, don't think clearly, and even may gain weight!

When we are calm, and take time to step back, we can make healthier decisions, and lead more fulfilling lives. When we are calm, our mind and body exist in harmony.

My book has lots of references to calm waters, and the ill effects of rough water. We can also relate water pollution to our human bodies - when we fill ourselves with things that do not serve us well, we can become ill, and dis-eased. So it is with our shorelines. When garbage finds its way to our waterways, many species can be harmed. For example, sea turtles like to eat jelly fish. Unfortunately, plastic bags look a lot like jelly fish, and eating a plastic bag will kill a sea turtle.

As I started again on my book after a two week hiatus, I think the result will be richer from my experiences. Having lots of time to reflect offers one the gift of insight. I hope you will find such insight in my book.

I have attached the most recent painting I completed. I realized that the colors in this painting are more saturated than usual, and I even added bright colors, because it seemed too dark. While I was painting "From My Kayak III", I was becoming ill. I can now see how my illness affects my work, and how rich our lives can be when we experience adversity. And I know the gift of wellness will return.

Artfully yours,

Cathy Harville

Greetings to all,

Today is my birthday! Each year, I realize how short life is, and how every day is important. And I do feel a bit wiser, with another year under my belt.

My birthday wish for this year is for everyone that reads this to donate just a small amount to my project. Every little bit helps!

I plan to have the first draft finished in a few weeks, and I will be posting it on Blurb. I am hoping to reach my goal, so I can publish the book, and make my sweat equity count!

So if you are thinking of backing my project, but have some questions or reservations, please let me know!

And, below is a brand new painting I just finished. I haven't even posted it to my website yet! It is called "View From My Kayak III".

Artfully yours,

Cathy harville

Not only is Kickstarter a great forum for helping to fund creative projects - Kickstarter is a great way to support the arts! Please tell all your friends about Kickstarter, and my project.

As many of you know, art budgets are being cut in schools, and in County and State governments. More and more, organizations, as well as individual artists need to rely on supporters to keep the arts alive.

With a small donation, you can make a statement that the arts are important to our lives. And remember - in order to receive any funds, I need to achieve my total backing goal! And your credit card will not be charged unless I receive full backing!

Below, I have posted "Turning Point", a pastel painting that was auctioned at a Howard County Council for the Arts event. The painting represents the turning point of summer into fall, but is also a metaphor for my work as an artist. It was with this painting that I realized color was my "weapon" of choice, and from that moment, my paintings were more expressive than ever!

In my book, "When Land Meets the Sea", I have a section on farming, and how farmland affects the Chesapeake Bay. "Turning Point" is a painting of the former USNA dairy farm. It is now an organic farm, with the owners working hard to be good stewards of the earth.

In future updates, I will be giving you "teasers" - one page looks at my new book.

Thank you for your support, and help spread the word!

Artfully yours,

Cathy Harville

Wow, after less than a week, I have 10 % funding! Thank you to all my supporters! I am so excited - and today, in my studio, I worked on a scene from a photo I took while kayaking near Gibson Island, MD. Gibson Island is a private Island - but the waters belong to everyone. How wonderful it would be if the land could be like the waters - free to all. I guess, as humans, we are not evolved enough to take on that huge of an opportunity. In fact, marinas, and certain localities charge huge sums of money to dock overnight, or even to hook up to a mooring buoy. We choose the free coves, the quiet places, where the water is calm and shallow. Sailors and large boats avoid shallow water - no captain wants to get grounded during low tide!

I have uploaded over thirty paintings for my book, and I am learning how to format the pages. Although the time I am spending on my book is taking time away from painting, it is fueling me with such new experiences, that I think my painting will benefit. When I finish my latest piece, I will post it, and I would like to hear what you think!

I hope everyone I am appealing to for support will take some time to talk with me, look at my work, and discuss my project. I wish everyone was as fortunate as I am - to be able to commune with nature in the water. Boating season starts back up in April - hard to believe when we still have huge piles of snow everywhere! But spring will come quickly, and winter will seem like a distant memory.

"When Land Meets the Sea" is the first real book I have written. Using my ship's logs, and my numerous journals, I can't wait to share my stories, and the paintings that came out of those stories.

I have posted one of my client's favorite works - "River Grasses". It is a pastel painting, that was sold to a good friend, with a new home on the water. I remember when I took the photo - I was in my kayak, and a boat went by. The wake, or the "waves" caused by the boat, initially annoyed me, as my kayak wiggled around, and I feared I would drop my precious new camera in the water. But after I got stuck in the mud, I took a shot of the grasses as they glowed in the late afternoon light. Back at the studio, I created a 24"X36" painting for a solo show. It sold on the first day. It was a defining moment for me as an artist.

For an emerging artist, selling work is still a big thrill for me. And it does not happen often, that someone snaps up a painting so quickly. I believe each painting has a home, and sometimes it just takes a while to find it. I have learned to recognize the special connection a client has with a painting. It is a little like love, but without any of the messiness!

As you go about your daily grind (and yes, I have a daily grind, too), please consider supporting my project. Even $10 would mean so much to me! By publishing my book about our fragile coastlines, and the beauty that surrounds all of us, I hope to create an appreciation for our environment, and a love for all things that get wet!

Artfully yours,

Cathy Harville

PS - I often get stuck in the mud when I am taking photos from my kayak. It's pretty fun, and I always manage to get out, even if I have to get out and get muddy. It's all good!