Kate Fontaine

I love painting animals, imaginary, organic, and surreal images on everything from canvas, wood, slate, and especially rocks. I started painting on rocks when I was twelve years old and have continued to branch out in other materials. I use acrylic paint on all of my art but I like to incorporate glitter and rhinestones when I can, for example on sea shells and masks. I tend to paint most of my rocks with happy animals and happy images. Many of my canvases are more surreal with deeper imagery and with darker perceptions. I focus a lot of my artwork on pet portraits. I love capturing a pet’s personality in the painting by including a favorite toy or catching the pet in a funny pose. Art is very important to me because it allows me to create images of how I feel, whether being happy and fun or dark and ugly. It is all about the creative process that goes into the painting that makes the finished piece effective.

I have been painting and selling art since I was twelve years old. I have painted a very large variety of all kinds of images in my career. I have studied art at Greenfield Community College and Holyoke Community College. I do mostly custom work for people, for example personalized pet portraits. Stores that have my art for sale include Nash Gallery, Demarey Gardens, Outlook Farm, and Laundry Furniture.

The highlight of being an artist is when I meet someone who has a piece of my art and that person tells me how much it means to him or her. I have run into people that I have not seen in a while and they will say, “I have one of your rocks on my shelf at home” or “I still have that rock you made me, I love it!” Then I will remember that piece that I forgot all about and I realize my art has a new life after it is created and is no longer with me. It is very special to me that my art makes people happy.