6-Year-Old Painting Prodigy and Her Therapy Cat Continue to Inspire with Their Creative Memoir

6-year-old Iris Grace copes with autism by expressing herself through painting, but she’s also received a heartwarming amount of help from her therapy cat Thula. “Ever since we came home with Thula, this precious, magical kitten has cast a spell over Iris,” Arabella Carter-Johnson, Iris’ photographer mom, reveals. “They sit beside each other as Iris paints, and new doorways to communication have been opened, doors we had previously feared might be locked forever.”

Thanks to Thula, Iris Grace has continued to open up as she explores her artistic talent. Though she’s only 6 years old, the young girl has already lived an impressively fulfilled life. She sees the world from a spectacularly vivid perspective and, with Thula by her side, she can paint breathtaking works for hours on end. Collectors around the world have even compared Iris Grace’s soothing, often nature-inspired paintings to those of Monet.

When you combine the young artist’s story with her paintings, what you get is a poetic memoir that’s both a human story and visually enhanced with the young girl’s innate gift. Once you add Carter-Johnson’s photographs and illustrator Alice Tait’s artwork, such a project becomes even more prolific. To see what we mean for yourself, you can check out Iris Grace’s book on Amazon, which has just been released today.

Iris Grace and Thula reading their book: