My name is Alina Eydel. I am 11 years old and I live in Laguna Hills, California. For the past three years I have actively participated in all kinds of art festivals and art shows with other professional artists. When I was 7 my mom (who is a professional artist and designer) bought me acrylic paints and oil pastels. She suggested that I paint on canvas or on bigger pieces of paper. That was when I really started to paint professionally. My favorite subjects are princesses and cats. My biggest inspiration is my cat Shura. I watch her and imagine her as a lady and my best friend. I imagine that we live in a make-believe country called "Catopia. We go scooter riding and ice skating together. We watch TV, have tea parties in front of the fireplace, or stretch out on the beach in Hawaii. I am very much in to fashion. I imagine all kinds of designs for dresses, purses, and hair. One of my recent series of paintings, "Cat-Hat Salon", developed out of the idea that I could wear Shura as a hat and walk around with her. That would be a new fashion statement! I carry my sketchbook everywhere, in the car, in school, at the park and the beach. I do a lot of sketches at once because my ideas chain themselves together. I just see my pictures in my head, and whenever I have a moment, I start putting them on paper. When people see my artwork, they usually ask the same questions: where do my whimsical characters come from and where do I get my ideas? They’re all from my imagination and my dreams.