As I look forward to the Covington Catholic Alumni Art Show on January 25 and this special evening celebrating creativity, talent and of course the 100 year anniversary of the school.

For this event I was asked to write about my art journey.

My experience at Covington Catholic was an inspiration that still fuels me to create art, design and branding today as a creative professional and fine artist, one who focuses on painting our amazing Cincinnati skyline and other regional icons. I was absolutely blessed to have amazing parents who sent me to Covington Catholic, which ultimately led to having Tim Hader as my art teacher. I started taking art classes my sophomore year, a pivotal time when you’re growing and really figuring out who you are. Tim has always had a genuine way of connecting and inspiring students and I remain eternally grateful for his influence on my life, passion and career. My hope is to create a legacy of artwork that brightens homes and captures moments with a lasting presence on walls that endures well beyond my time. 

Hader’s art class is where it all began. Under Tim’s guidance and alongside other talented students, I developed my creativity, refined my talent and found my focus and drive to pursue art throughout life. I would pour what I thought was a lot of time and care into my work, only to scan the room at pieces other people were working on and realize I needed to work even harder to reach my potential. I also realized that time would just fly by whenever I picked up a colored pencil or paint brush. 

My growth as an artist was a true progression I could achieve with discipline and measure objectively. While I enjoyed other school subjects, I could clearly see my personal improvement in art from piece to piece. Often, once I’d complete a piece, thinking it was ready to turn in, I’d prop it up on my nightstand before I bed, fall asleep looking at it, and wake up the next morning to refine it even further. (In addition to art, I also liked to make prank phone calls, but that’s another story. So, I’ll stick to this one.) 

From sophomore year until I was graduated, I focused more and more on art, especially work using Prismacolor colored pencils. Those pencils would have me up all night bringing to life visual concepts with the perfect blend of colors. From there, it was about sharing each piece with the class and explaining what it meant to you during critique times. It was about learning to take and apply feedback, collaborate with others and make each piece better for the next round, which really kept me excited. Toward the end of senior year, my passion for art continued to grow and Hader’s inspiration and guidance continued guide my career. I remember Tim mentioning that I should look into graphic design, believing I would excel at it. I honestly had never heard the term before, much less know you could make a career of it. 

Fortunately, I did look into graphic design and saw my hard work pay off when I received offers of art scholarships from Thomas More College and Mount St. Joseph. However, my choice was ultimately shaped by a chance encounter at a Frame & Save, in Florence, Kentucky, where I ran into another talented Covington Catholic alum and former Hader student, Kevin Brummer. Kevin was dropping off a still-life painting for framing. I was impressed by his work and asked where he was attending school. He encouraged me to check into Cincinnati Academy of Design, so I compiled my art portfolio and set up an interview with the school’s Mike McGuire. 

I ultimately attended Cincinnati Academy of Design, which trained art directors and creative directors on the visual side of the business, starting with illustration, design and typography. In 1997, I was graduated as class valedictorian. From there, my professional art career started in earnest. Through it all, I have been thankful for the guidance of my amazing teachers—Tim Hader and Mike McGuire. Wow! Absolutely incredible people who have inspired so many students. I am blessed to be among them. 

Here are a few of the paintings of the Roebling Bridge that will be for sale at this event. A portion of the proceeds will help fund the Kathy Haders Adversity Scholarship

A few of my Favorite Things Featuring the Roebling Bridge | 24″ x 24″ Acrylic on Canvas $1275.00

The Amazing Roebling Bridge | 48″ x 60″ Acrylic on Canvas $4250.00

The Magnificent Roebling Bridge | 48″ x 48″ Acrylic on Canvas $2480.00