Today we’d like to introduce you to Cat Tesla. Them and their team share their story with us below:
International artist Cat Tesla is a contemporary nature-based abstract painter. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Cat grew up with a love for both art and science and obtained degrees in Biology and Graphic Design, along with a Master’s Degree in Human Genetics. She worked as a genetic counselor on faculty at Emory University for 20 years, then eventually traded genetics clinic for art studio. Tesla completed additional painting studies with artist, writer, and author of “Expressive Drawing” Steven Aimone and also Sausalito-based artist and teacher Nicholas Wilton.
Cat’s work has been exhibited in galleries across the U.S. and U.K., as well as the Knoxville Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art in Atlanta, and the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art north of Atlanta. After 24 years as a professional artist, Tesla’s paintings are in more than 300 corporate collections and nearly 1000 hospitals and medical centers in the U.S. and in thousands of private collections worldwide. Her nature-based abstract works were recently placed in Capital One and the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab’s permanent collections. Tesla lives and works in the Atlanta, GA, area.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
After 24 years, the road is much smoother. In the beginning, things were a bit bumpy and there’s always lots to learn. I remember preparing to quit my day job in genetics in 2002. I had major surgery in December of 2001 and was planning to quit my day job shortly after that to become a full-time artist. A month after my surgery, my husband was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. It was like the rug had been pulled out from under us! I stayed at my day job much longer (on a part-time basis), so we could have health insurance. My husband is fine now and our art business is doing so well he eventually quit his day job too to help me manage everything.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work includes both abstracted nature-based and purely non-objective works. The subjects I choose to paint are organic, either originating from Mother Nature or inspired by her. I love building layers using painting and drawing, scraping back, then adding more. My artwork provides the viewer with a bold graphic element from a distance, but up close, they’re rewarded with rich organic details and texture.
Using nature as my muse, I combine color, shape, and line resulting in a painting that has tons of layers, gestural, and free. I use acrylic, inks, graphite, wax crayon, oil pastel, and oil glazes. I start each painting with a ritual: taking a hike or sitting outside, doing mindful meditation and then beginning. Coming to the studio centered and without expectation allows me to have a conversation with the canvas. A mark is made, in response another, and another, and the dance begins.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
A lot of art was sold online during the pandemic. This shift to online art buying isn’t going away anytime soon. Collectors like the convenience. I believe this trend of online art buying will only increase in years to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.artbycat.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cattesla/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatTeslaFineArt/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbS1XjwAVDzgTV8FxdEqAFA
Image Credits
Simo Tesla
