(Excerpted from In Search of the Cat Lady, (C)2003 Felicia N. Trujillo. No part may be used without permission of the author.)
Clare had always longed to move to the Southwest. The visual impact of all that space stunned her after her years in New York City.

In the middle 1940's Mabel Dodge sought Clare out in New York and asked her to come to the Lawrence Ranch in Taos, New Mexico and join the international community of artists living there. She went.

While my mother was living in Taos, Mabel Dodge introduced her to my father, Henry V. Trujillo. Dad was part Yaqui and part Hispanic from one of the founding Spanish families in New Mexico.

Henry enjoyed the company of a wide variety of people, and was popular with many artists, including Georgia O'Keefe and Tommy Macioni, both well-known artists in the area. He had already held several public offices, and soon was elected to the State Legislature, representing the area from Santa Fe to Taos.

Many years later, as Superintendent of the Northern New Mexico schools, my Dad also introduced me to two dashing young men -- John and Robert Kennedy -- when he took them on their campaign trail in New Mexico.

But long before that, Clare had made use of me as a model for three books: T-BONE THE BABYSITTER, PERCY, POLLY AND PETE, and her last book, FROSTY. Of course, I was always second to the cat or dog who was the real hero of the book.

My mother always drew from life and you can see in my Dad's photos that all of her drawings and stories were based on true events.

After living in San Francisco for twenty-five years, I finally returned to Santa Fe and began to think of how to make my mother's work available again to the public. I was especially interested in creating cards of her work, as well as creating this website for those who grew up with my mother's books and enjoy seeing her artwork again.

At this time, I am also completing her biography and welcome any information readers may be able to provide. Soon I will be sharing photos and emails from some of the other "stars" of my mother's books, including the "real" April of APRIL'S KITTENS.

Illustration from

T-BONE THE BABYSITTER,(C)1977 Stephen Newberry & Felicia Noelle Trujillo