I’m not sure I’m ready for the Fall but we are ready and excited to announce our latest artist collaboration! Please meet amazing watercolor artist and illustrator Caitlin McGauley. We first found Caitlin on instagram and have admired her work for years. We were so thrilled when she agreed to work with us this Fall.
A former textile designer for Ralph Lauren, Caitlin now works from her home studio, often with her children Alex and James beside her. She creates beautiful wallpaper, watercolor prints (perfect for a nursery or kids room) and this beautiful heron print for us!
Read below to get to know this incredibly talented mama:
Name: Caitlin McGauley
Kids names and ages:
My daughter Alex is 7 and my son James is 5.
Where do you live?
On a lake about 50 miles west of New York City.
When did you start painting?
I was always drawing as a kid, little doodles everywhere. So my mom put me in group watercolor lessons around age 8.
How did you choose watercolors as your medium of choice?
Since I started with watercolors so early in life, no other medium has clicked with me the way watercolors has. It goes with the impatient part of my personality. I like a medium that dries quickly!
Where do you find your inspiration?
I find so much inspiration in classic children’s books by Beatrix Potter, Jean de Brunhoff, Richard Scarry, Barbara Cooney, Alice and Martin Provensen…I could go on! Textiles by Vera Neumann and Josef Frank are a wealth of inspiration. Also I draw so much from nature since I love to paint animals and florals. Walking today with my kids we saw a bunny, two types of butterflies, a few swans, and a zillion flowers.
How would you describe your personal style?
I am a low maintenance, jeans and a T-shirt person. If I find something I like, I tend to stick to it.
Proudest moment as a parent?
When my kids take care of each other and look out for each other in little ways. The way that they play together and make crowns out of paper and pretend they’re kings, or make up some other game that I wouldn’t be creative enough to come up with. I don’t feel responsible for this relationship but it makes me proud!
Proudest moment as an artist?
Starting a freelance career. It was hard and scary to leave my job and wonder if I could help to support my family with my art. It was something that seemed like a long shot when I was younger, so it was a dream to be able to do it.
Hardest moment as a parent?
Just being wholly responsible for two other people day to day, and making sure that all of their varied needs are met. Am I paying enough attention to this one? Is this one eating enough vegetables? Did I remember to sign up for xyz? All of the little details can be overwhelming.
Hardest moment as an artist?
Live portrait events are really hard. I get about 2 minutes to paint each person. Then I look up to see a line of 20 people and realize I will be painting until midnight!
Any exciting projects on the horizon you want to talk about?
I am really getting into children’s illustration, and hope to have some developments on that front coming soon!
You make the most gorgeous wallpaper, where can people find it?
Thank you! It is available through Studio Four in New York, James showroom in Austin and Dallas, and Nicky Rising in L.A.
What is your favorite thing about our collaboration?
It’s so much fun to collaborate with a brand that I genuinely love. I adore Pink Chicken clothing, I’ve kept all the dresses that my daughter wore as a baby, so it is exciting to see my art on one of them!
