Cathy Gottschalk

Idaho is my home. I was born in Moscow and grew up on a farm near Viola.  I began drawing as a child.  My earliest drawings were with my aunt playing a drawing game she invented.  My favorite Christmas or birthday gifts were paper, pencils, crayons or books.  In high school, pen and ink or charcoal became my preferred medium.  My art teacher, Mrs. O’Reilly, introduced me to watercolor.  What a mess…water and paint running everywhere!  I quickly returned to my niche - pen or charcoal, never giving watercolor a second thought.

After some time in college, I got married and a few years later my dream of being a mom came true.  I loved doing the usual childhood crafts with my two boys.  We moved to Deary where I volunteered in their classrooms, assisted with art projects or designed bulletin boards.  Our boys grew up and our home became quiet.  Realizing my creativity had taken a backseat for too long and admiring works of local watercolor artists, I decided I wanted to give it another try.  I was taught a few watercolor “tricks” in a couple of workshops and now I love it.

I joined PWS in 2011; the members are very encouraging and inspire me to think bigger, to loosen up and to paint more often.  One of my favorite parts of this adventure is my husband has joined me as my frame builder.  I love being able to paint without the size constraints of a purchased frame.

Note: Cathy's first painting shown below, "Farm Life" won the "Best Historical" painting in the 2020 Palouse Plein Air competition.