Sally can’t remember when art was not a part of her life. Her mother, the artist Fran Hurd, needed no convincing to make art a part of Sally’s education.  When circumstances led Sally to work on the HP assembly line for years, she would draw on her lunch break and attend art workshops on the weekend. A full-time artist since 1989, Sally wondered at first about treading the artist’s path. “Give it five years,” she was advised. Over twenty years later, she has a long resume of awards and recognition to allay any lingering doubts.

“Experiment, always,” is her mantra and advice to aspiring artists. To that end, she clears her studio of all previous work before making a fresh start on a new piece. “My goal is to create a simple, poetic, visual language in my art.”

Winning the prestigious High Winds Medal from the American Watercolor Society International Exhibition in New York City in 2004 did not make a dent in Cataldo’s humble, disciplined approach to creating art. Neither did having her paintings appear in numerous juried art shows, publications, and books, including the recent Watercolor Painting by Tom Hoffman. She continues her lifelong study of art, journeying to Tuscany to paint under the tutelage of artists she admires.

“Art is my visual and personal expression of places, people, and events that are a part of my journey through life. My art is sincere feelings expressed.”