As we begin preparations for 2023 Mammoth Lakes Arts on the 4th, we invite you to get to know our participating artists! Our first Arts on the 4th Artist Spotlight features Eastern Sierra jewelry maker, Cathy Enright. Learn more about Cathy below:
1. When did you first realize you were an artist or wanted to be an artist?
When I was a young child of around 8-10 years old, my good friend’s mother invited me to join her in taking drawing lessons from a nearby artist. This was the beginning of my love of art. I still have many of these drawings.
2. Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I don’t have a formal art education from an art school, but I have been fortunate to be able to study outside of traditional school settings in workshops with artists that are masters in the field of metalsmithing.
3. What are some memorable moments from your arts education? How did
these shape you into the artist you are today?
My childhood laid the groundwork and shaped me into the artist I am today. The drawing lessons I took as a young child emphasized landscape drawings; my hobby of collecting rocks and stones to tumble and polish, and then later in life, collecting more precious gemstones led me to pursue metalsmithing workshops. I now combine my love of landscape art with traditional metalsmithing techniques to create my figurative nature inspired jewelry pieces.
4. What advice do you have for kids and teenagers interested in pursuing
the arts?
There are so many possibilities in the pursuit of the arts. I think the best thing anybody can do is to always be curious, learn as much as you can about everything that you can and don’t limit yourself. Explore everything that interests you and don’t compare your journey to anybody else. The path to a creative lifestyle is a gradual and lifelong process, and everything you learn along the way enriches your art. And finally, the advice that helps me every single day is a famous and powerful quote from Pablo Picasso: “Inspiration exists, but it must find you working.” For older teens, I think it’s important to realize that the best ideas come from hard work and determination. The most important things for my success in my craft are Persistence, Perseverance and Patience.
5. You are a participating artist for 2023 Arts on the 4th Festival! What are
you looking forward to for this year’s Festival? Since I work in my home studio alone, my favorite thing about the summer art festivals is meeting all of the folks who come to enjoy the work of all of the artists, and seeing fellow artists and vendors that have become friends, many of them that I only see at the art festivals.
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