My name is Anita Meistrell Putman, and I have been drawing/sketching/painting for as long as I can remember. Although I have no formal (college)training, a wonderful art instructor during my high school years encouraged me to find my niche in the art world. After much experimentation with all types of media, I finally settled on pen and ink as my medium of choice, because of the fine detail I require in my portraiture. My love affair with animals began when I was 10, when I was allowed to adopt a kitten. Cats and dogs have been my constant companions ever since, and I found that I could capture their likeness and expressions on paper, after a friend asked me to draw a portrait of her cats as a gift for her husband. That was in 1984, and the rest, as they say, is history!