About me

My name is Catherine McGrady and I specialise in pastel and oil painting. I work in a realistic style but aim to create a picture that has more vibrancy and depth than a reference photograph. I aim to bring life and personality to the person, pet or animal so that their spark shines through in the portrait, beyond their likeness.

I am an artist based in the beautiful county of Northumberland with a passion for exploring and constantly improving my craft. Having loved drawing from a young age, I studied an Art Foundation Course at Newcastle College with the aim of becoming an interior designer. However during this year I discovered that my talents lay in fine art and painting and could not see how this would make me a living. So I trained to become a primary school teacher with a specialism in the creative arts. Art remained a source of joy throughout my career as a teacher. Now retired from teaching I have been able to truly recommit to life as an artist, which is where my passion has always been.

I took up art again in 2019 by attending an art course at Newcastle Arts Centre, I then signed up to a portrait course with artist Steve Lyon-Bowes and in 2024 joined weekly group sessions with my peers at Morpeth Art Group. Engaging with the artist community and other talented artists pushes me to constantly improve and develop my own artistic voice.

Throughout my journey as an artist I have created pieces from many subjects; people, pets, wild animals, landscapes and still life, but I always return to portraiture. The opportunity to bring peoples loved ones and treasured pets to life through art is a joy and a priviledge.