Artist of the Month February 2007

Catherine Smith

Providence, RI

How and when did you start creating art?

Well, a neighbor of mine back in Elementary school would buy me How to Draw {insert Animal or Disney Character} books. Later, my parents enrolled me in an after school program at Artquest School of Design, where I first began to paint with acrylics and render wildlife.

What media and genres do you work in?

For my wildlife paintings I use acrylic paint. I also use waterproof ink for my ink renderings and use Photoshop to color my Illustration work.

Who or what are your influences?

That's a tough one; there are so many. Of course probably, every art teacher I ever had. In terms of wildlife art, I would have to say, my after school art teacher Greg Grant taught me almost everything I know about wildlife painting. My friends actually are very big influences. A lot of my ideas and titles for my work come from everyday conversations with my friends. One example is Lady Gladrigs, Gladrigs is a play off of "glad rags" meaning someone's fanciest and most stylish attire. A friend of mine helped me come up with this name. I always thought of the Ostrich as being an old lady dressed in her finest plumes. I could go on and on about the different animals, interesting colors, and many other everyday things that influence me, but that would take too long

Well, one day when I was taking reference photos at the local zoo, I came across these awesome tiny, little monkeys. They kind of looked like little old men. One of them had this wonderful expression, as if he was all knowing and king of everything. I loved the idea of something so small thinking it was so big and important. He deserved his own portrait.

Describe your creative process?

Hmm?Where to begin. It usually starts with a subject, usually an animal, which seems to possess a unique personality. I then get to work bringing that personality to life on gesso board (my new favorite painting surface). In the process I change the lighting and composition to best reflect/ emphasize the character of the subject matter.

What are you working on currently?

Currently, I'm working on some more goldfish paintings for my Ugly Goldfish Series. My ultimate goal is for 101 Ugly Goldfish; multiple fish in one painting count as multiple fish (i.e. 5 in a painting count as 5 in the final total). It's a pretty crazy goal but they make for fun paintings in between working on the Animal Portraits.

What are your near/long term goals as an artist?

I'm in the process getting my first run of limited edition prints set-up; as well as, preparing for my first two art festivals in February and March.

Where can people view/purchase your work (gallery, website, etc)?

All purchase information is available via my website: www.csimaginings.com You can also visit www.cafepress.com/csimaginings to purchase merchandise and apparel featuring my illustrations and ink work. Also, if you're in the area, feel free to visit my booth at Images: Festival of the Arts in New Smyrna, FL and the Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts in Tampa, F