Creator of Shire and Mouse

Hello! I am Catherine Averill, aka Catherine Owen.

I am an artist and a self-published author.

Shire and Mouse was a 2am thought, as I lay in bed with my, at the time, six month old baby.

I was influenced by Julia Donaldson’s the Gruffalo, enjoying the creative ways of telling stories in poetic form and the ability to find peace in change like the beautifully original Charlie Mackesy.

I was finding motherhood to be quite a lonely experience.

With that, I found comfort in writing and creating, building stories and exploring designs for two characters who materialise more and more.