Cowley shuttles between disasters

– Kath Gannaway
IN GOING from one natural disaster zone to another, illustrator Katz Cowley has somehow found a place she can comfortably call home.
The English-born illustrator of the much-loved children’s book Wonky Donkey will launch her new book in Marysville.
“All I want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth” is an illustrated version of the catchy Don Gardner song.
Wonky Donkey was number one best selling children’s book in New Zealand and Australia and is still number one in all genres in New Zealand.
“My dreams really came true in Christchurch where I studied illustrating and had the most wonderful community and friends around me,” Katz said reflecting on the repercussions of living through two earthquakes and arriving just two weeks later, suitcase in hand, in Marysville.
“I had given up my dream to illustrate children’s books, then Wonky Donkey came out in October 2009 and it just went crazy,” Katz, whose partner is Marysville sculptor Bruno Torfs, said.
She had visited Marysville before the 2009 fires and planned to visit again to catch up with Bruno and his amazing sculpture garden. “I have always felt very connected to Bruno’s work … it feels like we both come from a similar place,” Katz , who is also a musician, sculptor and teacher, said.
“For me, being here in Marysville, with people who share my experience, and where there is such a sense of community spirit and courage … I feel I can recover in a place that is recovering.
“Seeing this, I know this is what is happening in Christchurch as well, so in some ways it is very therapeutic.”
Katz completed “All I Want for Christmas” in Marysville and will be doing book signings at the Marysville Post Office on 29 and 30 October and 1 November between 1.30pm and 2.30pm as part of the Marysville Sparkling Wine Festival.