News & Observer | newsobserver.com | 2008 NCAA Men's Bracket

Jill of Orange Cat Art is busy getting ready for this weekend's Designers Downtown Market this weekend, but she took some time to share a bit about herself:

1. I've been interested in photography since high school, but it took some training from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-CH and a foray through the world of commercial photography before I decided to see if I could make a living shooting what I love. What I love to photograph is what I see in the natural world -- the colors, the shapes and patterns all around us. I'm lucky to live in North Carolina, where we have such a variety of landscapes to explore.

2. Orange Cat Art was created in 2004 when I began to print notecards of my images to sell in gift shops and galleries. My sister Sheri West Symanski also has a great eye, so her photos quickly became indispensable to our library. She lived in the mountains at the time, so if it's a great mountain or waterfall shot - it's probably one of hers!

3. I print all of our cards and prints myself. It's a lot of work, but there's nothing like personal quality control! Our notecards and calendars are printed on lightly textured watercolor paper that really gives them a hand-crafted feel. Our prints are made with the highest-quality archival inks and papers available.

4. Although we offer photography from all over the country, we think our North Carolina work sets us apart. Our notecard collections feature four different images in each set, based on a themes like geographical location (ie, the Blue Ridge Parkway, NC Coastal, or and Ocracoke Collections) or subject (ie, the NC Lighthouse, Springtime and Waterfall Collections). Also, our North Carolina Seasons desktop calendar is one of our most popular gift items.

5. There is an orange cat, and his name is Barclay. I'd have photos of him, but he is a better muse than model! I