Ignite Design: Kathleen Hale

British artist and writer, Kathleen Hale was born in Boughton, Lancashire on 24th May 1898 but grew up in the suburbs of Manchester. Her father died when she was only five years old and her mother was away working for long periods of time.
Her series of children’s books about a marmalade coloured cat called Orlando were her most famous work. Orlando was based on the family cat and named after a ginger haired cat she saw while in Italy. She wrote and illustrated eighteen Orlando books across the span of thirty-four years, from 1938 to 1972. She wanted to do more but her eyesight was failing which made painting very difficult. Four years after completing the series she was awarded an OBE. Kathleen died on 22nd January 2000 at the age of one hundred and one.
Kathleen uses many of her own life experiences and memories in her books as well as recreating and imagining the childhood and family life she never had. Her artistic style is detailed and colourful, mostly painted and often described a bohemian.

HALE, KATHLEEN.