Cathy Wales was just five or six years old when she drew and colored a cardinal. It was so lifelike, her own father said she must have traced the red bird.
"She did not," her grandmother retorted. Little Cathy had been watching a Walt Disney show and her grandmother happened to have a dictionary laying close by. The little girl picked up the dictionary, opened it to a page that had a cardinal's picture in it, and started to draw. Her grandmother had watched the whole artistic scene unfold.
That was, perhaps, the first time that the artist realized she had talent. Now, the retired McDonald County resident admits she has a "God-given gift" that she utilizes to create art in a variety of mediums: acrylic painting, wood burning, scratchboard, strippling and quilling. She calls her work "Cathy's Specialty Art" and shows and sells her pieces at Mountain Happenings at Sims Corner Farmers Market. That platform has been extremely productive for her.
She plans to launch a Facebook page soon, so customers will be able to reach her for Christmas orders.
It's a long, accomplished way from someone who used to dabble in art.
"I just drew art and gave it away," she said.
Wales first became interested in showcasing her art in a public forum after her friend, LaSandra McKeever, encouraged her to share her art with others.
Wales painstakingly creates her art, investing great amounts of time for realistic-looking pieces. For instance, she spent 20 hours on wood-burning artwork that features a windmill.
Wood burning is her favorite, as she loves to see the art "come to life." She strives to make her animals, such as horses, deer and bears, look lifelike. It's important to reflect those qualities, making sure that she makes the "life inside the eye" look real.
The artist, who is inspired by nature, animals and farms, creates her wood burning on slabs of board that she gets from a friend.
Strippling, another art form she pursues, is achieved with a very fine tip pen that creates tiny dots. All the dots form a picture. Wales' art might inspire others to try their hand -- she makes the finished product looks easy to create. She takes her inspiration from photographs, creating her artwork in a "she-shed" her husband built her. The strippling art form, however, is something she can work on when she and her husband spend time together, watching television.
She also enjoys creating scratchboard art, which is striking in black and white. "It really hits people's eyes."
She generally spends anywhere from 40 to 60 hours a week creating art, depending on the project and the medium.
As the cooler days approach and customers may start thinking of holiday gifts, Wales anticipates other work will come her way. She will do consignment pieces, she said, using a person's pet as the inspiration. That meaningful work will strike a chord with customers.
Wales finds comfort in her art. Experimenting and seeing her art come alive is enjoyable. Most of all, she finds a whole-hearted approach works best.
Is creating art therapeutic?
"Very much so," she said, smiling.
