Catherine Dunn

When I was young, I always valued creativity and I admired my cousin for having so much of it and I would feel a pinch of jealousy in my heart every time he would draw something really cool because I wanted so much to be like him. But I though I had no talent because that’s what the grown ups around me were telling me. I still loved color and would spend hours trying different color combinations to see how they’d make me feel and what they looked like though I thought it was kind of a stupid thing to do until, at an art exhibition, I saw a video where Molinari was talking about comparing different color combinations and the feeling they conjured. Maybe it wasn't a stupid thing to do after all and I guess that this process is what made me become really good with knowinng which colors to choose. When it was time for me to go to university, I dreamed of going to art school but I didn’t because I though I wouldn’t be good enough and I was worried that I wouldn’t have any ideas for all the project we would have to do. I also wanted to be an architect but I didn’t become one for the same reasons. So instead, I went into Urban Studies which I didn’t like very much and ended up being a secretary in a telecommunication company after graduation. Later on, I went back to school to study telecommunications, but once again I didn't like it that much because my heart needs creativity and color. It did allow me to get a job writing training manuals about industrial processes which was a bit creative and allowed me to discover I loved writing. Then, in my thirties, I had a boyfriend who was studying architecture. One day, as he was struggling to draw a portrait, he started venting his frustration aloud so I went to see him. “There’s something wrong with this picture but I can’t figure what it is”, he told me. Looking at it I started pointing out what I thought were the things that needed fixing. “You never told me you knew how to draw” he said. And I told him that I didn’t. So, he suggested that I start practicing, which I did. I found out I have a knack for pencil drawing. It’s a very intuitive process for me and I did do a few really nice drawings. But then life just happened and I, once again, put my creativity aside. Then a few years ago I took an acrylic painting course. I did three OK paintings but found the process really hard since it was so different from drawing and not intuitive to me at all. So now I am 58 years old and I have extra time on my hands, since things are slow in my business because of COVID . Being a bit bored I was wondering what would cheer me up. The first thing that came into my mind is COLOR, then I though about watercolor and how I’d love to learn some of its techniques. Since it’s never too late to learn, here I am signing up for 9 courses with Domestika. One for creativity, two for drawing and the rest for watercolor. I’m just doing this for fun because it makes me really happy and it allows me to finally do what I should have done a very long time ago. Who knows what’s going to come out from all of this? I’m ready to start on a new adventure!