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Gallery: Rosina Wachtmeister
There were cats everywhere in the bookshop. Black cats, cheeky cats, cats with arched backs, romantic cats and sleepy cats, proud cats and musical cats, cats with narrowly tapered necks -- all colorful creations of Rosina Wachtmeister's paintbrush which peep out of her greeting cards, posters, calendars, and books.
Millions of her appealing cat cards in 70 different motifs are sold each year in Europe and Australia and will be debuting in the United States this year. For many fans, the name Rosina Wachtmeister is synonymous with cats, warmth, romanticism, and a contagious love of life. Watching the artist painstakingly and patiently adorn endless stacks of posters and books with her flourishing golden signature, one can only assume this must indeed be the case.
Yet this 61-year-old grandmother's life has not followed a straight line. Born in Vienna in 1939, Wacht-meister spent her early years in Upper Silesia where she lived with her grandparents, before moving back to a town near Salzburg in Austria. When she was 14, she was uprooted again when the family emigrated to Brazil, a country "where I was never able to settle," she confides.
"I always travel by car," Wacht-meister says with a knowing laugh. "But I have no sense of orientation, I'm always getting lost. When that happens, I just call a cab and follow along behind." However, she had a...