Newsletter
Sed ut perspiciatis unde.
SubscribeWe’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Catherine Moore. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Catherine below.
Catherine , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
On some level, I guess I’ve always known I’ve wanted to be an artist or to work in a creative field. I was always interested in creating. I was always drawing or coloring or making crafts. When I was about 5 or 6, for a school project I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. My answer was an actress or an artist. At the time I was thinking I maybe wanted to be an artist or animator for Disney. I was fascinated with the backgrounds of their classic films like Snow White, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, etc. Additionally, I envisioned one day working at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. I also loved the art of children’s books. Enamored with the works of Dr. Seuss, Leo Lionni, and Maurice Sendak, I wanted to be able to tell stories with pictures. I just wanted to create fantastical worlds to live in for awhile and share that wonder with others. I was fascinated with the idea of creating something from nothing. To me, art was simply magic.
Catherine , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My art journey moved along a windy road that seemed to have several areas under construction around which I needed to maneuver. I am what some would call “a late bloomer”. I guess I have always done things in my own way and in my own time. My father used to love telling the story of teaching me how to swim. We spent an entire summer at a local pool where he would try to get me to swim, and I just wouldn’t. On the last day, after once again failing to have me swim, he said that we were done and were going to leave. It was then I decided to jump in the pool and take off swimming, and I have been able to swim ever since. He would always tell that story when he wanted someone to know the kind of person I was.
So, I grew up drawing. Always drawing. I took a drawing class in high school, but the teacher was less than encouraging. At one point she asked me why I was in that class because I would never be an artist. I was a bit heartbroken at first, but it also gave me resolve to prove her wrong. That one moment spurred me to work even harder to become an artist. But it would take some time – life, as they say, got in the way. After high school, I did go to a 2 year degree college and did some community college classes, trying to “find myself” and try different things. I wasn’t exposed to a real art community there and I hadn’t figured out which path I really wanted to take. I kind of thought I needed to do something else while still creating on my own time. I then met my husband, we got married, and had our son. I worked full time as a retail manager, and we had bills to pay. Art kind of took a back seat for awhile.
When my son was still very young, my company moved us to the Bay Area, where a world of creative opportunity revealed itself to me. At the ripe age of 28 I went back to school at the Academy of Art University, where I could finally pursue my childhood dream of becoming an artist. I studied 2D Traditional Illustration with a focus on Children’s Book illustration, and even took some classes in Animation. I loved school. I couldn’t get enough of learning all the materials and techniques. I didn’t paint before art school. I only drew with graphite or charcoal. So this opened up a whole new realm of color and creativity. After graduation, I realized how hard it was to get into those highly competitive fields.
I was able to get some illustration gigs here and there to create art for board games or some promotional material, but I needed a consistent source of income. I worked in a small office and I taught myself some graphic design with some mentoring by my boss who was a former graphic designer. I designed brochures, logos, marketing material, flyers, etc. while picking up some occasional art commissions. After a few years doing this type of work, my dear friend and fellow artist encouraged me to start showing my own work in galleries. It took me about a year to get my head around creating work that was “me” and not something that was for a client. Once I really “got it”, it wasn’t too long before I started making some sales.
I loved getting back in touch with painting after focusing so much on graphic design work. Through my work I am able to explore both external components of life as well as the inner workings of my own psyche. I am fascinated with the magic and mystery of what we do not yet understand as well as the complete beauty of what is already proven and tangible. Like many, I am also consumed by the world of pop culture, and I love to create narrative works inspired by some of my favorite genres of movies, books, and folklore. These stories are often shrouded in the supernatural and darker parts of one’s imagination. But within the darkness is beautiful light, so don’t be surprised when that comes out on the canvas too.
I’ve been doing gallery work since 2011, and I hope to always do so, though the landscape keeps changing. I also sell paintings and prints of my work online and have recently started to venture into the art market arena. I have a joint venture, called Polka Dot Raven, with the same friend that first encouraged me to paint for myself. We are creating work together for local art markets with the goal to branch out to other areas of the country as we grow our business. It is likely in the coming year I may vend at a few markets just myself hawking my creations to patrons and meeting and talking to new customers. Nothing beats seeing the look on someone’s face when they truly connect with your artwork and get to take a piece home with them. Simply amazing.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I think life is a series of constant pivots. I try to always change with the tide. When I was struggling to break into the children’s book illustration field, I learned some graphic design and found work that way. I was getting tired of the type of illustration work I was doing, so I started showing my own work with galleries. I needed to supplement my income so I found a job teaching at a paint and sip studio. It afforded me the time I still needed for gallery and illustration work, but with the comfort of having a steady stream of income. And once again I find myself pivoting into trying new things like art markets. I also have the great fortune of being a co-host of a podcast where we interview amazing artists and discuss art business topics. It keeps me inspired and moving forward on my path, where I’m sure many twists and turns lie ahead.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Strangely, or maybe it’s not so strange, one of my absolute favorite things about this creative career I have is connecting with and building relationships with other creatives. There are so many amazing artists out there, and I learn from all of them. And I’m not talking about certain techniques, though there is that sometimes, but about how they work, how they create, and how they are building on their own successes. Networking is so key to our business, that having a community of creatives around you is one of the most important things to move forward in this field. Bouncing ideas off each other or just commiserating when things are tough is so helpful. Having support from other artists as we lift each other up is simply invaluable, and I sincerely love my art community.
Contact Info:
Suggest a Story: CanvasRebel is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know
here.
