Meet Cathy Jones | Watercolor Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cathy Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cathy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I always admired painters and their talents. My two best friends in college were art majors. In my sophomore year in college I went to Paris and Grenoble, France for a semester abroad. While there I was inspired by the french impressionist painters and fell in love with with them while visiting the many Paris museums. I studied teaching at the University of Illinois and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the teaching of the french language which I did for a few years. I married and moved to New England and was immersed in the fine art museums of Harvard College and Boston, MA where I continued my art education. Subsequently I moved to Denver, Colorado where I joined the Denver Art Museum and Denver Botanic Gardens and took art workshops at both venues. I also went to paralegal school where I received my Certficate of Paralegal We enjoyed the mountains from a distance but could not resist their siren call. So after a few years we moved to Evergreen, an artist community 25 miles west of Denver, situated in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. During this time I discovered Georgia O’Keefe and fell in love with her sensuous style of painting flowers and southwestern landscapes. I am a self taught painter and have taken numerous workshops with local and national artists. I finally discovered my muse was watercolor and decided to concentrate my painting efforts in that medium. I often thought of starting my own business. After many years of working in law firms and taking painting classes at night, I decided to put my watercolors “out there” to see how they did in the real world. They were accepted in several art shows and I started winning awards. So I started my own art business-Cathy Jones Fine Art and Sunflower Studio-and have an in-home studio. I am currently creating contemporary watercolor paintings with mixed media.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I paint in watercolor with some mixed media. My art work is intuitive and tends toward the abstract. I love to paint trees, flowers, all kinds of nature, and anything else that catches my eye. I am a col0rist. I got to where I am today professionally and it wasn’t easy to overcome the many challenges by not giving up. One lesson I learned along the way was not to take criticism to heart. I am an award winning watermedia artist and was juried into the Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Show, Evergreen Fine Arts Festival, Gilpin County Artists’ Association, Foothills Art Center and Center for the Arts Evergreen juried Shows. My work has been sold through national art shows, regional exhibits, local galleries and studio tours. I have authored three books about painting with watermedia and teach classes to adults and children at CAE. I am collected nationally and internationally.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In Evergreen, I would take my best friend to the Center for the Arts Evergreen to see the latest hanging art show. Then to downtown Evergreen to visit the art galleries and for coffee and lunch at our local coffee shop. The next day we would visit the Denver Art Museum which has so much to offer We would also visit the Foorhills Art Center in Golden and the myriad shops in downtown Golden. Lunch would be at Table Mountain Inn where they serve southwestern fare. We would have to spend a day in Boulder on the mall visiting art galleries and crazy shops leftover from the seventies. A night at the symphony or the theater would be a must in downtown Denver along with a fancy meal. I think that would fill the week and be more than enough to entertain my best friend.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are many people (I will only mention two) in my 25 year career as an artist and one organization I would like to give a shoutout to. Of course my husband, Rick, who without his support and encouragement, I would never have succeeded as an artist. I would like to give a shoutout also to my mentor, Steve Griggs, watercolor painter extraordinaire who has endlessly critiqued my artwork with positive comments and was very kind in helping me improve on my watercolor paintings. I love his saying – “you can’t ruin a watercolor and paper is cheap.” The organization is the Center for the Arts Evergreen which definitely helped me get started in the art world. I served on the Board of Directors and chaired the Curatorial Committee. I continue to be involved with CAE serving on the nationally recognized Rocky Mountain Natiomal Watermedia Committee of which I was honored to be juried into twice.

Website: https://www.cathyjonesart.com

Instagram: cathyjonesfineart

Linkedin: cathyjonesfineart

Facebook: cathyjonesfineart

Image Credits
Cathy Jones