Sonoma County artist, Claudia Sanchez, was born and raised in Napa, California. In 1989, she was a busy sales administrator for a high-tech company, when she decided to take a year’s leave of absence to re-evaluate her life. During this time, she started back to school and soon decided to permanently quit her job to pursue a career in Interior Design. While in the midst of the Design program, Claudia’s sister, a Bay Area architect, noticed and was impressed by some of the paintings Claudia had done in her art classes. By the time Claudia had completed her Interior Design program in December of 1993, she was already painting professionally. At the end of 1994, Claudia had her first solo show in a well-known Sonoma County gallery. After discussing possible themes for the show with the gallery owner, Claudia showed her a cat painting that she had done as a Mother’s Day gift for her mother. From that time on, her concentration has been on cats. Claudia has done well over 100 different cat paintings, many of which have been, or are currently being sold on t-shirts and tiles throughout the United States.

Claudia’s Artistic Philosophy:

“I believe that I have optimized the use of my design education along with my artistic talent to create a unique painting style. Color motivates me tremendously; and in my everyday life, I am always noticing the color schemes around me. Color is usually the most noticeable feature of my artwork; however, various other design elements such as shape, pattern, and texture are also incorporated into my designs. These basic design elements are what comprise my particular painting style. I love painting abstracts; however, many people need to identify with a subject. It was for this reason that I decided to combine my love of cats with my personal painting style to create brightly colored, abstract cats! Add to this a positive attitude, perseverance, and all of the enthusiasm I feel for my subjects (most of whom are real cats), and it adds up to one winning combination.”

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