About artist, Cathy Lancaster 

Photos by Mary Rafferty 

People ask me what inspires me in painting. I think that I do have that innate thing artists need which is a sense of color. That, I believe, is God given. My paintings are about layering. I am inspired by modernism but I could never create that perfectionistic, precise version of modern art. My best paintings emerge with mistakes beneath, peeking out from under the surface. I am inspired by all things interesting and un-boring.

I feel so fortunate to have grown up in a small town in Mississippi. You get to know the characters of your place and they seep into your make-up. Moving to New Orleans awakened all my senses to color in every realm of life. If New Orleans is anything, it could never be considered boring. There, I got to know so many talented people. I fell in love with jazz and zydeco music. The food. There is no need to describe it unless you have never experienced it. Mardi Gras, the architecture, the old live oak trees, meeting several people who walk around with huge parrots on their shoulder. The old lady who rides around uptown on a bike with a basket on the front in vaudeville looking makeup. Nobody even pays attention to the guy walking on Magazine Street in a red tutu because there are so many characters. So, I have to say that just living in New Orleans inspired me tremendously.

Cathy Lancaster, Playing with color from Mary Rafferty on Vimeo.

 

Interesting people inspire me. My children inspire me because they are so funny and keep my life from being anything but dull.

My husband is inspiring to me because he is such a fun and passionate person. Truly my best friend. He supports me and puts up with all the reasons why I was relieved to find out I was an artist (I have a life time of good excuses

• Cathy LOVES making things... it's no surprise that experimenting with wallpapers and prints spilled over into seeing how her work could be made into products.  
• Located in Chicago, IL
• I have been selling my original artwork since 2004