Gillian, the Victoria-based owner and maker behind O'Malley's, began woodcarving during long deployments at sea with the Royal Canadian Navy. Now a veteran after 31 years of service, she is the owner and craftswoman of O'Malley's Carpentry Shop and Celtic Art, making fun, funky and useful wood art, cutting boards, charcuterie boards, spoons, nautical decor, celtic-inspired wood carving, and the best damn pickles you've ever tasted (sadly sold out until August)! All products with the exception of exotic wood accents in cutting boards are made from local wood and all the celtic animal woodcarvings are all handcarved and based on her original designs. Gillian is passionate about building community social and economic systems and encourages an overall buy-local ethos in both her personal life and through her business. She loves supporting other local artists and businesses and believes it is one of the best ways to truly make a difference in the world. Gillian, despite claiming to be "not a cat person", is the owner of Mrs Norris, who lives in her basement workshop, patrolling for mice and knocking tools off workbenches in an attempt to teach her staff to put things away. Mrs Norris is a beautiful longhair who may have had some ragdoll in her parentage, is blind in one eye from an unknown incident in a previous situation (probably from when she was snitching on students at Hogwarts), loves to tease the dogs through her basement window and of course loves to be petted.

We have been part of the rescue community for years, specializing in neonate kittens, orphaned kittens, and those that are very sick and in need of special care. Our experience has grown alongside our passion for cat rescue, particularly focusing on helping the most vulnerable. As our rescue has evolved, we have expanded into a full-fledged organization, with a strong focus on TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return), caring for newborns, and providing low-income spay or neuter services to help reduce overpopulation. We are committed to making a meaningful impact in the lives of cats and kittens, one rescue at a time.

Jeannine Chudzik has been partaking in creative endeavours for most of her life; the last five years dedicated to her passion of pet-portraiture. She is a Winnipeg ex-pat and has been maintaining a love affair with Victoria (most intensely with Fernwood) for almost two decades (alongside her beloved husband and rescue cats). She would describe herself as a bona fide cat lover extraordinaire and will do anything to improve the lives of felines everywhere. Currently, she is involved with and on the board at The Pandora Arts Collective where she has been afforded the opportunity to work amongst a incredible and inspiring cohort of creative people twice a week at the Fernwood Community Arts Association. Please consider joining this very low-cost and accessible means to keep art alive in Fernwood!https://pandoraarts.ca/ . Jeannine's most current works can be viewed in the front boardroom of the FCAA and even newer ones will be featured in an upcoming show at the Little Fernwood Gallery beginning of June this year and as part of the Fernwood Art Stroll. Her dedicated art practice these past four years has focused on donating 100 percent of profits to local pet charities and the Pandora Arts Collective, also donating portraits for online auctions including Cat's Cradle Animal Rescue, Broken Promises Rescue, Dee's Orphan Kitty Fund, and private fund-raising initiatives. Her own felines are rescues from Cat's Cradle. Jeannine will be donating a pet portrait as a door prize for the upcoming Fernwood Cat Walk! She has designed the poster, logo, and tote design for the big event. In fact, prints and cards of these artworks can be purchased at her merch table at the Fernwood Inn; all Fernwood Cat Walk logo items will be donated to the organization for future cat walks planning expenses. Jeannine's personal art will be showcased on magnets and cards for purchase, too. She is beyond excited to be involved in Fernwood's first ever Cat Walk!!

Melissa is a local painter and proud cat lady. Her art features vibrant colours, whimsical florals, and of course centers around her love of cats! While she has always enjoyed painting and creating art, she started pursuing it seriously in 2022 after an unfortunate layoff turned into a fortunate opportunity to follow her passion! Now she is living her best cat lady life and loves sharing her 'meow-sterpieces' with fellow cat lovers. Her current project titled "The 100 Cats Challenge" is a year-long endeavor to paint 100 portraits of cats wearing accessories that match their personality. It is a collaboration with cat lovers from around Victoria (and the world!) who have submitted their fur babies to her project. Currently she is halfway done, with 50 cats complete and plans to have the rest finished in the next couple of months in time for a summer showcase of all 100! She is documenting this process on Instagram so you can follow along @artbymelk or join her e-newsletter to receive updates at www.artbymelk.com.