Cathy is a New Hampshire artist, a member of the Manchester Artists
Association, and has exhibited her works in MAA gallery group
shows, pop-up gallery and student art shows, as well as in local
businesses.
Her artwork consists of mixed media pieces, sketches and paintings. She chose acrylics for their
versatility as a thick and textural medium, or thinned as translucent
washes. The backgrounds of her paintings are just as important to her as
the subject of the painting, and acrylics work well in her process of
layering and blending colors. The
result is richly colored, textural and contemporary abstract
paintings. She uses a variety of techniques including painting with
traditional brushes and palette knives, and layering colors with washes.
Cathy allows the background to influence what is ultimately painted on the
canvas, many times choosing the subject of the painting only after the
background is complete. Her influences come from things you
would see in everyday life, striving to create abstract paintings that are
visually interesting. She has and continues
to study drawing, painting with acrylics, and color mixing
through ongoing art classes.
After a career in office administration that spanned for almost 20 years, and
painting for many years to decorate her own home and to give as gifts to
others, Cathy decided to pursue a career as an artist. She started in January 2009 with a line of
note cards and prints from her original artwork. She now concentrates primarily on original
paintings and sketches. Cally Marie Designs is a copyrighted series of
paintings of original dress designs entitled "It's All About the
Dress".
Cathy grew up in New Hampshire, and after a brief time spent living and
working in Arizona, has lived in Hooksett for the past 20 years. She lives with her husband,
and their cat Riley, and enjoys spending time with their three grandsons.
“I watched my mother create beautiful paintings and sketches when I was a child
and now painting enables me to explore and develop my artistic abilities. I find a sense of tranquility when I paint,
and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment I get from each piece that I complete.”