Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Catherine “Cat” Tesla, award-winning mixed media artist, began doodling and finger painting at the age of 3. From there, she never stopped creating. Her striking, bold works have been praised for their richness in form, texture, and innovative color combinations. Tesla's formal education, based in science and graphic design, reveals itself in the way she divides canvas into sections filled with layers and textures of a landscape or fresh flowers.

Cat’s mixed media paintings on canvas or wood support uniquely combined acrylic, oil glazes, oil pastel, pieces of (other) paintings and monoprints, found objects, pages from her journal or a favorite book, gold or silver leaf, and glazed and fired earthenware clay that she creates by hand. “My paintings are a visual scrapbook of what is perceived through memory, utilizing collage and archetypes to emulate past experiences. The painting is divided and pieced together purposefully, mimicking the piecing together of memories, images, and feelings”, says Tesla. Her work is included in public and private collections throughout the United States, Canada and abroad.