Review
Anne Stockton has always had a cat in the house. During prohibition there was "Hooch", followed by Persian Princess, Cinderella, Ashy, Sooty, DandyLion and many more. The eighty-eight year old painter, who lives in a small cottage in the English countryside has always loved her cats, but none of them inspired her more than "Honey-Bun." "..For I never knew, and I have known many, such a Perfect Cat. He taught me love, compassion and also what I should have given to my children and was too scared, too immature at twenty to be able to fulfil or even conceive".
So writes Stockton in her new book "Honey-Bun", a beautifully illustrated memoir of the short life and heartrending death of her four year old ginger male cat. After a reckless driver ran Honey-Bun down, Stockton sought ways to work through her grief. What followed was a small book of tribute, filled with photographs and the story of the life and times that she and Honey-Bun had shared together. Stockton went down to the local copy shop, patched together about twenty copies of the story and gave them away to friends.
Enter a visiting cousin from America who happens to be a book publisher. Stockton showed her cousin the book just for fun, never guessing what would be the result. " I thought it was remarkable" says Megan Haas of Seattle's Educare Press. " I thought it would make a beautiful gift-book. Anne is such a marvelous artist and so the first thing I did was ask her if she would be interested in making paintings to replace the photographs, just as a project." Stockton was game and began immediately, deciding to work in pastels. The results were phenomenal. Says Haas, "Every few months after that I would receive these incredible drawings in the mail. They just bowled me over. They ran through an astonishing range of emotions, from intense grief to the most extraordinary joy. "
And indeed, this beautiful hardcover is highlighted by the most bewitching illustrations, illuminating the will and whimsy of this Perfect Cat. Not only is Stockton a dazzling artist, but she is also a wonderful writer and thinker. Honey-Bun is both a personal memoir and a spiritual journey. Through death, Stockton finds solace in her ability to explore the nature of life. In a wonderful weave of words, art and philosophy, we begin to understand how the pain of losing a beloved companion can bring us closer to an understanding of our entire lives and lead to a glorious rebirth.
But there is a secret ingredient in Honey-Bun. It is not only the story of a special companion, it is also the story of Stockton herself. She doesn -- Ivy Waters
About the Author
At age eighty-seven, Anne Stockton has painting professionally for most of her life. She lives and works in her studio in Sussex, England. Stockton gives courses in the United States and also in England at Tobias School of Art which she founded in 1979 with her husband Kurt Falk.
Resolving to become a painter at age thirteen, Stockton studied from age fifteen at the Art Students League and Grand Central Art School in New York City. She had the good fortune to meet and work with several well known modern artists, and later with several artists working out of Anthroposophy. Meeting Steiner's illumination of a new path towards the future of art and spiritual development has been Stockton's guiding incentive to work toward it's unfolding.
Stockton's painting have been published in several books. She is currently working on her biography.
