from the publication and our collaboration on
The Sisterhood. Only aware of her graphic design
skills, I sought her out to replicate them; discov-
ering in conversation that she could also fulfill on
my idea to have sketches instead of traditional
photos on the magazine’s cover.
“I can do that,” she said simply; and the rest, as
the saying goes, is history.
Her work on the covers is in alignment with the
most fulfilling aspect of her talent.
By MICHELLE HOLLINGER
R
egular readers of The Sisterhood have
seen twelve pieces of her work since
last August. The publication’s graphic
designer is also its illustrator; the
artistic genius responsible for the
exquisite, amazingly accurate sketches of women
featured on the cover each month.
Thanks to her Aunt Gigi, Cathy Charles picked up
an artist’s pencil when she was a little girl and,
thankfully, hasn’t put it down.
“I remember when I was five, (my aunt) would pick
me up every week and I would hang out with her.
One day she was going through a bunch of draw-
ings. She had a box full of caricatures,” Charles
8
shared. “Did you do these,” she asked her aunt.
After confirming the woman was indeed the artist
responsible for creating drawings of Michael Jack-
son, Whitney Houston and others, Charles said
she began her own artistic journey that, years lat-
er, has resulted in the acclaimed magazine covers,
freelance assignments from a Parisian company
and her first ever participation in Art Basel last
year.
When I suggest that it’s her divine passion, she
concurs. “Yes, it’s my thing.”
Immensely modest, I met Charles when we were
both employed at the South Florida Times as the
editor and senior graphics designer, respectively.
The full revelation of her artistic talent did not
become apparent until our respective departures
Initially reluctant, she has fallen in love with
teaching and cannot imagine her life without it. move along in my art and all the risk-taking I want
to do.”
“This professor, teaching thing that I’m doing now
is no joke. If there’s any reason I don’t sleep, it’s
because of my students,” she confesses. Deter-
mined to make their learning experience different
than hers, which she said included being taught
to “click a few buttons and to use the software,
barely,” Charles “spent so much time, hours and
hours more than I’ve spent on anything else,” to
prepare for her course. Inherent in risk-taking is the navigation of fear;
which Charles said she does by praying and med-
itating.
“When I started drawing I thought I had to draw
like the masters and that included landscapes
and trees, but it wasn’t doing anything for me ex-
cept filling the therapeutic side of doing art,” she
explained. “For me and my work, it’s really im-
portant for me to draw women that look like me.” “It is so rewarding. I have great relationships with
every single one of my students. I can’t see myself
not doing it,” she said. Although graphic designing
can be “very tedious,” she manages to make it fun.
Charles is overwhelmed by the positive responses
she’s received from the cover designs; which, like
her other work, she calls “very intuitive.” “I see how they light up.”
“I’m still shocked that people like my stuff,”
Charles said, adding, “I’m very appreciative. The
Sisterhood has been really good. I’ve had people
reach out to me just to say they saw our cover
somewhere…quite a few times.”
Charles is also responsible for the magazine’s
graphic design; a field she ventured into for prac-
tical reasons, (she was concerned about whether
she’d make money as an acrylic painter.) Never-
theless, it has yielded very pleasant surprises.
She has a bachelor’s degree from Florida State
University in Studio Art with a concentration in
Graphics Design; and is pursuing a Master’s de-
gree in Graphic Design at Florida Atlantic Univer-
sity – where she was tapped to teach a graphics
design class.
THE SISTER HOOD | AUGUST 2017
Her reward is her students’ progress.
Sisterhood has been instrumental in her evolu-
tion as an artist and as a teacher.
“Sisterhood has been about coming into my
own, my purpose with the support of my
friends and my family.”
“Whenever I’m feeling anxious, I just really have
to stop. I don’t do anything. I pray about it or I’m
not going to be able to function in the right mind.
Or I just meditate,” she said.
To accomplish great things,
we must not only act,
but also dream; not only plan,
but also believe.
Congratulations to The Sisterhood
for scaling new heights
and setting new standards.
Living a “non-traditional” life as an artist can
be challenging, Charles asserted; so having a sup-
port system is absolutely essential.
“There are days when you just wake up and ask
yourself, ‘man do I need to just get a 9 to 5 and sit
at somebody’s desk.”’
Being surrounded by “great, supportive women
that affirm what you’re doing makes life so
much easier,” she shared. “They help me
THE SISTER HOOD | AUGUST 2017
9