My college art professor told me to keep drawing. I didn’t listen…
… until more than 15 years later when I decided to pick up the pencils and paintbrushes again.
It’s funny how things have a way of coming full circle in their own time. My love for art didn’t start in college. I’ve always enjoyed drawing, painting, creating and consuming art for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my best friend‘s mom had an art gallery (check her out: Pam Tarbell and Mill Brook Gallery) and in it we would play and learn and create. I vividly remember the floor to ceiling windows that let the natural light in (and our imagination out) and the ever-present smell of paint that floated in the air.
And as we grew up, I guess I grew away from art. But while the flame had dimmed, it was still burning.
Fast forward to college – good ol’ Randolph-Macon – a small liberal arts college at the center of the universe. In true liberal arts fashion, even though my major was psychology with a math concentration, I was still required to keep a well-rounded course load… meaning we had to take art classes. So I took some, loved them, and did well in them (hence the ignored advice to keep drawing). And then went on to graduate (second in my class) and head straight into a full-time job and graduate school. (Also important to mention: I met and fell in love with my husband during this time as well!)
Another degree later, and quite a few years working an office job (side note: these years feel like another lifetime, but I did really enjoyed them!), I became a mom and decided THAT is what I would pour my heart into. I stopped “working” and became a stay at home mom. And to this date it’s one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life. Ten years and 3 amazing kiddos later – I’m still doing the damn thing. And loving every minute of it (well… most minutes ;)).
Long story long…
(Sorry I can be wordy like my mother)
A couple years ago, on a whim, I decided to start creating again. And although I was a bit rusty, it felt good GREAT.
And Cate Before A Mirror was born.
(To see the original Cate Before A Mirror origin story go here).
In the last 2 years I’ve seen growth within my business and my art. I have a in-home studio and regular commission clients. I have plans for some fine art pieces and print offerings. And I am constantly learning as I am still green. But I think that is the beauty of being an artist; we are always green. There’s always something to learn, something coming around the corner.
About Us
A New Hampshire transplant and a Baltimore suburb native meet as collegiate athletes and greek life geeks at a small school in Virginia. Their first date is at the romantic (and appropriately named) Strawberry Street Café (which, after 43 years, is subsequently renamed Scuffletown Garden… which sounds significantly less romantic). They become inseparable. They rescue a dog (x2!). They graduate and settle back in the same Baltimore suburb from whence he came, have 2 boys and 1 girl. They live their mom + dad life to the fullest, cramming activities and excursions into every available minute, riding the rollercoaster of life.
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