By Catherine Lehman.

Catherine Lehman lived most of her life in or near Cincinnati, Ohio.  She relocated to Bowling Green in July of 2010. She said, “This part of southern Kentucky with its rolling hills and picturesque farms has been pulling me south ever since my childhood when I would visit my cousins who live very near Bowling Green. Combine that with a vibrant art community and a city that is just the right combination of urban and small college town made Bowling Green a perfect fit for me. When the opportunity to teach art for Warren County was offered to me it was a very easy decision”.

   Currently Catherine is creating works of art using acrylic paint, watercolor and pencil. She said that she likes to draw with pencil or paint small watercolor paintings when she can work outdoors, using nature as her inspiration. “I love to find a great place to walk or hike and take my time looking for something to draw or paint. I look for an old gnarled tree trunk or wildflowers poking up from fallen leaves or vines climbing over rock ledges. I have a terrific little red bag that I found at a yard sale that has all sorts of pockets just perfect for carrying everything I need: watercolor paints, brushes, paper, pencils, sharpener, erasers, water everything I need to create outdoors”, stated Ms. Lehman. 

   Her very favorite pastime is to take a painting-camping trip, that is when she can devote entire days to hiking, painting and drawing as well as taking photographs that can be used to inspire paintings when she is working indoors in her studio. Catherine told me that at the time that she bought her car she had just watched a movie about the artist Georgia O’Keeffe. In the movie Ms. O’Keeffe painted in the desert sitting in the back of her old car. So Catherine was determined to have a car that she could turn into an instant studio if the weather was not cooperating on her painting trips. She said that many times while on a painting-camping trip she has taken advantage of the instant car studio and said that it really has been some of her best times.

   Ms. Lehman said, “My studio in my home without wheels is very simply a room with good windows for light, space for an easel, table for paints, brushes and rags and a stool to perch on. This is the space where I paint larger acrylic paintings. These paintings are most often inspired by photographs of landscapes I find interesting because of the colors and textures present. Painting using acrylic paints works well for me, the paint can be used much like oil paint but acrylics can be diluted with water so that the paint can be made more fluid and used like watercolor paints. I like having the versatility to use the paint in a variety of ways.

   When Catherine was just entering junior high she began to take painting classes with a local artist, Donna Beavers. She said that Donna was not just teaching her the art of watercolor painting she was teaching her how to look at the world with the eyes of an artist. “We took trips together in the summers and as we were looking for places to set up our easels outdoors. She would ask me to tell her just how many different colors were in a tidal pool or a tall tree, forcing me to not just see a tree or the pool but to examine things with fresh new ideas of seeing the world”, said Catherine.

   Catherine Lehman attended Edgecliff College in Cincinnati where she said the art department was very strong with excellent professors and terrific studio space. She worked in all media in college but did her final thesis presentation on a series of weavings she wove on a tapestry loom. After college she continued creating art, painting as well as weaving.

   At Tiger-Lily Press in Cincinnati she made a number of prints that were shown at area galleries and her work was included in an invitational show at the Cincinnati Art Museum. For several years she was a member of Art Bank, an artist cooperative in Cincinnati and Village Artisans, an artist cooperative in Yellow Springs, Ohio. For twelve years she made her living solely creating and selling art, teaching art classes and giving workshops and demonstrations. Catherine’s art company was called Blue Moon Design. She designed, made and painted tables, cabinets, bookcases and children’s tables and chairs.

   In Bowling Green, she has been included in the US Bank Art Exhibit at the Kentucky Museum, the Facility Art Exhibit at the Warren County Schools’ central office, and the Duncan Hines Art Exhibit at the Kentucky Museum. Some of her paintings can also be seen at Pandora’s Box, a new shop at 1027 31-W By Pass, Bowling Green.

   You can contact at Catherine Lehman at:  lynneroseart on facebook or cathskis@hotmail.com for more information and prices.

   Catherine leaves us with these words from Georgia O’Keeffe about painting, “A hill or a tree cannot make a good painting just because it is a hill or a tree. It is lines and colors put together that say something.”

About the author: Ronnie Jaggers is a seasoned sculptor, fine artist and master crafter. Her work can be seen on ChiseledFeaturesStudio.webs.com. She reminds other artists “Trust the beauty of your art, for if you see the beauty, others will too.” To be considered for the featured artist call Ronnie at 791-3505 or email ChiseledFeaturesStudio@yahoo.com