Cathy Dietrich
Cathy Dietrich is the co-owner of RayMar Art, but long before she produced painting panels, art beckoned to her. At age six she cut out colorful pictures from her mom’s magazines and taped them all over her bedroom walls to create a “gallery”, then rounded up the neighborhood kids to see her work. Was this a precursor of things to come? Absolutely! When Cathy took a beginning art class “just for seniors” in high school and mixed colors for the first time, she knew she wanted to paint.
Painting had it all: composition, design, unlimited colors and hypnotic aromas. Mixing paint and smearing it on canvas was a physical and emotional thrill. She got revved up for art school but her parents insisted on a traditional college. The trade off was she could major in art.
Later on a vacation in the Southwest she fell in love with the intense light of the desert and relocated there. She portrayed the desert in vibrant colors and exhibited her work in west Texas and southern California galleries.
Painting became sporadic during the years she raised a family and partnered in her husband’s businesses. Then in 1998 the opportunity came for some serious study at the Scottsdale Artist’s School. But when three instructors suggested she make her own painting panels for class it became the spark to create another business.
Fast forward fourteen years to find professional artists rely on RayMar products that Cathy and her daughter Emily designed. In addition to making cotton and linen panels and panel carriers, RayMar launched its own annual Fine Art Competition in 2005. Cathy and Emily attend and also support other major art events around the country. Frequently they’ve been on the scene to supply a carrier to rescue a wet painting headed home with a collector. And on the subject of wet paintings, Cathy once again has enrolled at the Scottsdale Artist’s School to create some of her own!
cathy@raymarart.com
www.raymarart.com
www.raymarartcontest.com