Thursday, February 28, 2013

Meet Artist Cate Culver, Ironstone Spring Obsession Open Division accepted Artist

About Cate Culver   

My first memory of doing art was as a young child.  We lived in Vallejo, CA where I was born on November 10, 1945 at the end of WWII.  My father Edson was an early riser up to grade papers and plan his teaching schedule. Soon I was up an about at 5 am too. To keep me from distrubing my mother Ruth and big sister Connie he'd have me draw pictures.  I've been drawing ever since.

By age three we had moved to Sacramento where my father joined the teaching staff at Sacramento State College in the Education Department. At age 14, I sold my first painting for $3.00, a watercolor of a fish. AS a teenager I excelled at my school art classes.  Upon graduation from High School in 1963, I was awarded a $100 scholarship as the Most Promising Artist. In 1967 I graduated from Sacramento State College as an Art Major. I loved my college classes and learned to throw pots, paint watercolors, do print making and cast silver jewelry. I was a History minor and enjoyed that also.

Most of my career was in advertising as a Graphic Artist for Pay Less Drug stores at their corporate headquarters in Oakland. Then Raley's Superstores at their corporate headquarters in West Sacramento.

Then after 25 years I burnt out. Just could not take anymore hours in front of the computer and the stress of deadlines.  I didn't feel like an artist anymore.  I longed to paint and draw again. I was 46 years old and newly married. my husband Jerry and I left our big city jobs and moved to the foothills of California in the Gold Country.  We found low key jobs and put down roots. I worked for a small advertising agency as a Graphic Artist and then moved on to work for the Calaveras County Historical Society as their Historian. I retired in 2007.

I bought new art supplies and began to teach myself to paint again. In 1999 the money came forth for me to build an art studio. It is 16 x 24 and adjacent to our house. At last I'm and artist again!

No comments: