GWS Spring 2007 Newsletter
Meet a Member: Catherine Pichon
Beginning with this edition of our newsletter we are going to feature one of our members, one of our 500 members who have a story to tell. We want you to get to know the artist, what inspires them, how they work, what other interests they have. This is not an artist profile. It is not a resume. It is the "everybody has a story" in GWS. We hope this feature will introduce you to someone you can get to know better and who will inspire you.
Catherine Pichon lives in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains in north Georgia. She's traveled and lived all over the world and because she and her husband moved around so much she has done a lot of volunteer work. She is currently a volunteer with CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) in Dawson County, serves on several committees at her Presbyterian Church, works as a poll clerk, and has served on boards of library and kindergarten. And for many years she was a volunteer with the Chattahoochee Nature Center.
I spoke to her after our meeting at Binders.
Cathy Ehrler: Catherine, how does art fit into your life?
Catherine Pichon: Music as well as art is a part of my life. A musician once said to me "you don't have to practice you just have to play a lot". Painting is a lot like music, Twenty years ago I began painting, painting a lot. I painted and studied and painted and the next thing I knew people were calling me an artist. Calling myself an artist was a difficult step. A friend stood in front of me and said "Catherine repeat after me," "I am an artist".
CE: Where did you received your art education?
CP: I never got any formal training in art. I majored in economics in college and it wasn't until 1989 that I took my first watercolor class. We had just moved to Louisiana and we had only been there a very short time when my husband told me we were going to move again. Since I didn't know anyone I needed something to do. A newspaper ad for a watercolor class caught my eye. I've been painting ever since.
CE: What do you like to paint?
CP: My husband and I live in the woods of North Georgia. In my artist information sheet my paintings are described as "Intimate Portraits of Nature". What I am really doing is painting what is around me. A lot of my inspiration for paintings is a result of walks around our land.
CE: Do you ever paint with others?
CP: The North Georgia Mountains seem to inspire a lot of artists. Ten of us have formed a group, Blackberry Creek Artists. We have a web site, do shows together, paint together but most importantly, we encourage each other. My artist friends are an important part of my artistic pursuit.
CE: Why did you join GWS?
CP: Someone saw my work and told me "You paint in watercolor, you should join GWS and enter their shows." I joined so I could get to know other artists who enjoy watercolor like I do. And I enjoy entering the Member Shows.
CE: What do your non-artist friends think of your work?
CP: There are non-artist friends in my life. I tell them my art keeps me out of trouble. What they don't know is that art is the trouble. One look at the stuff and splatters in my studio will tell you that, but oh the happy hours I spend there.
We are happy Catherine has joined GWS. We hope you all will get to know her at one of our next meetings. You can see her work at www.blackberrycreekartists.com.