Dear Bird Folks,

I’ve been reading your bird column for a while. They are fine, but what I really enjoy are those bird illustrations. Do you draw them also?

Rick, Chatham

What Rick?

Did I draw those birds? Are you kidding? I can’t even draw my own bath water. All of those wonderful illustrations are done by the odd, but talented Catherine Clark. Cathy has worked with us for the past 12 years. She draws swell birds, but her true interest is with marine mammals and those fat, boring whales. It is her massive humpback whale that brightens the side of the Kid and Kaboodle Shop in Orleans Center. The whale can best be seen from the Cumberland Farms side. Check it out the next time you stop into Cumberland Farms for your weekly supply of Slim Jims and magazines that they keep behind the counter.

Another place to see Cathy’s art is on the sides of many local whale watching boats. Looking at her art may help you forget just how seasick you really are. Also, her work is in most Hearth ‘n’ Kettle restaurants, including the one in Orleans. She has painted fabulous murals of local whales and dolphins swimming underwater. The mural is located just behind the bar and the longer that you sit at the bar, the better the mural starts to look. However, Cathy is most famous for her painted wildlife Christmas ornaments that sell by the hundreds in shops all around the Cape.

There are lots of places on the Cape to see Cathy’s art, but I’d rather you wait to see her illustrations in each week’s article. That way I can be sure at least one person is looking forward to my column.