“I was born along the Mississippi River in an area called the Quad Cities, Illinois. I grew up boating and water skiing. I have always had an affinity for water even muddy water! My father was a draftsman and tool designer so I attribute my love of pattern and repetition to him. I took art classes in high school and decided to major in art education in college. I graduated from Northern Illinois University with a BA in art education.
My first art teaching job was in Lindenwold, New Jersey at a middle school. I married and traveled to Yalova, Turkey where my husband was stationed in the Navy. I am still inspired by the beautiful tile patterns I saw there. My oldest son was born in Ankara, Turkey.
Upon returning to the United States I taught art at Sycamore High School in Sycamore, Illinois. The art department was being renovated so I taught art in the cafeteria in a chicken wire cage! The newly renovated art wing was worth it in the end. My daughter was born in Sycamore, Illinois.
My husband’s career moved us to Wyoming and finally Maryland. I taught the last twenty years of my career in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. My youngest son was born in Columbia, Maryland.
My school, Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School, in Silver Spring, Maryland was chosen to be one of three arts integration schools through a grant from the United States Department of Education. Arts integration uses the arts to teach traditional academic subjects. My school partnered with the art education department at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
I had many outstanding artists in residencies. Programs at the National Gallery of Art gave my students opportunities to view famous works of art and to engage students in creating their own art.
I attended the Maryland Artist Teachers Institute at the University of Maryland for numerous summers and did presentations on arts integration at conferences in Boston and New York. I traveled to Beijing, China to do a presentation on arts integration at the First Joint United States and China Educational Conference. I am currently working with the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts, in Frederiksted, on developing school programs related to current exhibits.
My daughter and son-in-law moved to St. Croix thirteen years ago. My daughter works for an EDC company and my son-in-law is a graphic designer. They have one child. My oldest son, wife, and granddaughter live in the suburbs of Baltimore. My youngest son and his wife moved back to St. Croix four months ago. He is a head chef at a restaurant in Christiansted. After visiting St. Croix over the years my husband and I decided to retire here and built a house five years ago.
After retiring from teaching, I began my second career as a visual artist. My love of patterns and bright colors is reflected in my work. My inspiration comes from the beauty of the ocean and the lush tropical colors that I see on St. Croix. My medium of choice is colored pencil that I use to create whimsical representations of sea life and flora and fauna. I am experimenting with combining colored pencil and collage. I repurpose vintage vinyl records into bowls and clocks and paint graphic patterns on canvas to create floor cloths.
My philosophy of art is that every human being can express themselves through the arts, and particularly visual art, from very young preschool students to the seniors that I teach at Flambouyant Gardens. I want people to feel joy when they view my artwork.
I have exhibited my work at the Blue Mutt, Top Hat Gallery, and the Maufe Gallery in Christiansted. I currently have work for sale at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts in Frederiksted. ”
Cathy Booth
410-299-6933
[email protected]
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