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Glorious Cats: The Paintings of Lesley Anne Ivory
Collects Lesley Anno Ivory's most notable paintings of cats in exotic settings in a miniature format that is complemented by literary excerpts from famous writers and an interview with the artist that offers insight into her distinctive style.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
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About the author
Lesley Anne Ivory
68 books9 followersLesley Anne Ivory was born in Bedfordshire, England, and studied at the art schools of St Albans, Watford and Luton, gaining the National Diploma in Design. Lesley's predominately watercolour and gouache artwork is heavily influenced by her love of pattern, from Indian and Persian tapestry and design to the mosaics and friezes of the ancient world. Her wood engravings have been exhibited at the Royal Academy and she created a set of limited edition prints of animals for the World Wildlife Fund. Lesley Anne Ivory has illustrated more than 40 children's books; cats play an important part in Lesley Anne's life and the majority of her paintings are portraits of her own feline family.
- Art of the Imagination
- Art of the Imagination
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 3, 2025
When I discovered “Cats Know Best”, the work and heart were powerful so tangibly, I seek everything by Lesley Anne Ivory. My spouse & I read “Meet My Cats” with my Mom in the hospital two years ago. Our whole family tree rumbles with generations of kitty love but Mom, Ron, & I unhesitatingly regard these magnificent animals as Sons & Daughters, equals in our fold.
“Glorious Cats: The Paintings Of Lesley Anne Ivory” is from 1989 too, when the cat of my childhood was 7. I had her until 2003. The two boy cats just went this year, who took me into adulthood after her! These are wonderfully relatable stories and images for us and a tremendously poignant family record for the Ivorys. The stories and drawings show us their family kitties, making her artwork much more personal than standard compilations.
If these things had not moved me enough, amateur art lovers like me and those who paint, will marvel at Leslie’s skill. Have you seen the nature portraits of Canadian legend, Robert Bateman? I compare her to him for real looking backgrounds and animals. I can not sufficiently grasp that people can draw and paint scenes and animals so well, that they look like photographs. Robert features majestic yet dearly familiar Canadian terrain, like forests and marshland, into which he records and watches local animals appear. Leslie too aces anatomy and musculature, natural positions and sweet poses, and the soul in the eyes. You are amazed and feel warmed by cuteness all at once.
Remarkably realistic textures and colour shading of cat fur, leap boldly alongside blankets and innumerable household settings, accomplished in recognizable patterns and delightful palettes that both impress and soothe me. She blocks her portraits in Egyptian motifs that enhance the trajectory of my gaze.
“Glorious Cats: The Paintings Of Lesley Anne Ivory” is from 1989 too, when the cat of my childhood was 7. I had her until 2003. The two boy cats just went this year, who took me into adulthood after her! These are wonderfully relatable stories and images for us and a tremendously poignant family record for the Ivorys. The stories and drawings show us their family kitties, making her artwork much more personal than standard compilations.
If these things had not moved me enough, amateur art lovers like me and those who paint, will marvel at Leslie’s skill. Have you seen the nature portraits of Canadian legend, Robert Bateman? I compare her to him for real looking backgrounds and animals. I can not sufficiently grasp that people can draw and paint scenes and animals so well, that they look like photographs. Robert features majestic yet dearly familiar Canadian terrain, like forests and marshland, into which he records and watches local animals appear. Leslie too aces anatomy and musculature, natural positions and sweet poses, and the soul in the eyes. You are amazed and feel warmed by cuteness all at once.
Remarkably realistic textures and colour shading of cat fur, leap boldly alongside blankets and innumerable household settings, accomplished in recognizable patterns and delightful palettes that both impress and soothe me. She blocks her portraits in Egyptian motifs that enhance the trajectory of my gaze.
January 18, 2015
This book is a treasure, not only of Lesley Anne Ivory's exquisite cat paintings, but of cat-based literature. As a dedicated mother I read to my four-year-old every night, a child who still holds a great reverence for illustrations. There is only so much Madeline one can take before going mad. Glorious Cats is a brilliant collection of both poetry and prose, and a favorite with both of us.
It is a great joy to sit down with a child with a book of fluffy cat pictures and be able to read aloud poems like Tolkien's Cat on the Mat,
"The giant lion with iron
claw in paw,
and huge ruthless tooth
in gory jaw..."
Or Martha Ostenso's Chinese Cat,
"...Were you a Favorite,
Ages ago,
Who purred at an Emperor's
Overthrow?"
Or wonderful prose excerpts like this one from Charles Dudley Warner, "The poet who wrote so prettily of him that his little life was rounded with a sleep understated his facility; it was rounded with a good many."
And Paul Gallico's essay on the Mystical Cat, "Black Magic, white magic, good luck and bad, a hundred superstitions covering every aspect of human life and condition, are ascribed to the cat. It became the familiar of witches, the companion of the devil and, of course, a god in its own right."
I would give a great deal for more books of such beauty and eloquence, books which can be reread aloud again and again without losing an iota of their elegance. I highly recommend this book, and wish there were hundreds more of this caliber. The artist and editor both have done a brilliant job, gifting us with a true gem of cat paintings, poetry and prose.
It is a great joy to sit down with a child with a book of fluffy cat pictures and be able to read aloud poems like Tolkien's Cat on the Mat,
"The giant lion with iron
claw in paw,
and huge ruthless tooth
in gory jaw..."
Or Martha Ostenso's Chinese Cat,
"...Were you a Favorite,
Ages ago,
Who purred at an Emperor's
Overthrow?"
Or wonderful prose excerpts like this one from Charles Dudley Warner, "The poet who wrote so prettily of him that his little life was rounded with a sleep understated his facility; it was rounded with a good many."
And Paul Gallico's essay on the Mystical Cat, "Black Magic, white magic, good luck and bad, a hundred superstitions covering every aspect of human life and condition, are ascribed to the cat. It became the familiar of witches, the companion of the devil and, of course, a god in its own right."
I would give a great deal for more books of such beauty and eloquence, books which can be reread aloud again and again without losing an iota of their elegance. I highly recommend this book, and wish there were hundreds more of this caliber. The artist and editor both have done a brilliant job, gifting us with a true gem of cat paintings, poetry and prose.
July 23, 2018
Gourgous art and intriging verse..Pretty book.
October 3, 2015
My parents gave me a copy of Glorious Cats when I was ten-ish as a reward for being a runner up in the annual Barlow Public Speaking Contest, otherwise known as Torture with a capital T for those of you who don't speak GCS-ese. I am very much an introvert and I dreaded it every year but my parents made me practice and practice and practice until, on my last year, I was a runner up. I spent the whole rewards day praying that none of the finalists would be ill and I wouldn't have to recite the Mark Twain poem in front of several hundred parents and several hundred more students.
So being a massive cat lover, my parents bought me this as a prize and although I appreciated it, 40-ish pages of paintings in a style I don't actually like, accompanied with poems - when I'd just spent a month learning poems off by heart and hearing them recited - wasn't all that much of a consolation for the whole having to stand up on stage thing or the fact that this also earned me a speaking role in the school musical (Yay! Not.).
Forgive me for rambling. I'm not denouncing Ivory's technical skill, but paintings of cats on top of drab, dated tapestries and persian rugs is simply not to my taste. I didn't like her work when I was ten and, on rediscovering this book in a charity shop fifteen years later, I still don't like it.
Their thought in buying me a cat book was kind but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say *just because you like something, does not mean you will like every single thing related to it*. Shocking, I know.
I love cats crazy amounts, but I didn't love Glorious Cats.
So being a massive cat lover, my parents bought me this as a prize and although I appreciated it, 40-ish pages of paintings in a style I don't actually like, accompanied with poems - when I'd just spent a month learning poems off by heart and hearing them recited - wasn't all that much of a consolation for the whole having to stand up on stage thing or the fact that this also earned me a speaking role in the school musical (Yay! Not.).
Forgive me for rambling. I'm not denouncing Ivory's technical skill, but paintings of cats on top of drab, dated tapestries and persian rugs is simply not to my taste. I didn't like her work when I was ten and, on rediscovering this book in a charity shop fifteen years later, I still don't like it.
Their thought in buying me a cat book was kind but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say *just because you like something, does not mean you will like every single thing related to it*. Shocking, I know.
I love cats crazy amounts, but I didn't love Glorious Cats.
November 12, 2021
Leslie Anne Ivory has created a beautiful visual collection of cats she has painted demonstrating her love and reverence for these creatures. Cats in the home, cats in Egypt, cats who are nurturing young ones, cats that are luminous in their mystery and majesty. Along with each picture she has selected a poem or a narrative that speaks to the character of each picture she has painted. The pictures seem almost alive so vivid, each cat seems to look at the reader to state, in repose, am I not beautiful? Lesley Anne Ivory mentions in the prologue how she conceived of this book and how over the years her love for cats and textiles, courtesy of her mother set her on her artistic path. While recovering from an illness as a child she peruse albums of fabric designs and watercolor flowers. She has studied wood graving and fabric design and printing. In this volume she features her own cats and rare species. Viewing this collection is a singular experience that evokes wonder and underscores why the cat is a favorite pet among connoisseurs.
March 22, 2013
Works by many poets of varying vision and talent are the narrative in this lovely book. Each poem is accompanied by a painting rendered with detail, imagination, and spirit by artist Lesley A. Ivory. While the book is intended for the children's section of libraries and retail stores, this is one of those slim little volumes that I have considered buying for myself. The illustrations are some of the best that "cat people" could request, and many of the poems included are timeless.
August 27, 2014
The picture of the cat with the poem "Mother Cat" looks like my childhood cat. This is a lovely book of poems about cats. The illustrations are wonderful. It's a good book to have on the shelf to enjoy.
February 11, 2024
The detailed artworks featured in this book certainly have a uniqueness of style. But the vibrant colors can be a bit overpowering at times, and the intricate backgrounds sometimes come across as too busy. Also, the selected poetry verses are occasionally flowery in a way that makes it difficult to follow the authors' train of thought. However, there was one poem I thoroughly enjoyed.
On a personal note as a cat lover, I expected to enjoy this book more than I did.
Did I like it? It had its merits.
Would I reread it? No.
Would I recommend it? Someone with slightly different tastes in art and poetry would probably enjoy the book more than me.
On a personal note as a cat lover, I expected to enjoy this book more than I did.
Did I like it? It had its merits.
Would I reread it? No.
Would I recommend it? Someone with slightly different tastes in art and poetry would probably enjoy the book more than me.
October 6, 2022
If you are a cat lover who undeniably loves cats like an idol or something then this book is good for you. It has a stunning paintings of cats with poems in it that are interesting and will make your day great. I bought the book at a secondhand bookshop hehe.
January 15, 2023
LOVED this book. Beautiful artwork and I loved the poems and stories. Highly recommend for animal lovers and for those who love animal art.
April 28, 2023
The art is fantastic and goes well with the poetry
March 21, 2025
This book features detailed cat paintings by Lesley Anne Ivory, with quotes from various books about cats. I liked the pictures better than the quotes.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews