Cayla Witt

As a child I watched my grandmother sew and cross-stitch for her friends and nonprofits. I grew up in awe of crafting and creativity. In middle school I started drawing and dabbled in watercolor. In high school my creativity grew in art classes as I learned photography and graphic arts in special classes at a local career center. During this I also spent a lot of hours embroidering lyrics or simple graphics on clothing or small hoops for friends. As I graduated high school I had two passions, fine art and psychology.

I graduated college with a bachelor in psychology and left my art to the side, as the local college didn’t have a thriving fine art degree. Suddenly my love for the craft came to a halt. I felt I was supposed to do art, without creating I felt empty. But without the knowledge and time of art school in college I felt like I was lost. I didn’t have a style I could call my own. I didn’t have resources to figure out a pathway. I felt stuck.

I worked a few jobs with my mental health degree, focusing on behavioral health as a therapist. It was rewarding and exhausting. My physical health started to decline and I was soon diagnosed with a chronic illness. That illness led me to slow down and really focus on my life. I was newly married, in a new house, about to start a new job. I started creating once more and this time it was different. I focused on how I wanted my art to feel and what I wanted it to mean. Suddenly I had it, my art style.

With the confidence of my art style, I started to focus on my art. I wanted my art to be whimsical and a place that had characters that felt familiar but also magical. I wanted to use embroidery and gouache to show this world full of color, critters, and life. The textures, vivid colors, and animals fill my canvases and paper.

Currently, I have a 8-5 corporate job in mental health. But now, I also leave time for my art when I need to pour out some whimsy.

Thank you for reading my blurb. I hope you found some inspiration of your own in however it fits in your life.

Before you go, say bye to all my assistants!

Left to Right: Brandon (husband), Nala, Benny, Hemi, Syliva & me!