Adventure-based photographer’s work on display in Rangeley

RANGELEY – A new exhibit presented by Rangeley Friends of the Arts at the Lakeside Contemporary Art Gallery on will open on Feb. 16, highlighting the vibrant work of photographer Cat of Cat’s Eye Studio.

Cat was raised with a camera in hand, learning the ways of the dark room from her mom and her dad’s hobby of capturing family moments with a lens.

The Maine-raised photographer began narrowing down her niche while in high school. She traveled to Panama, bringing a cheap disposable camera, and took what she now calls some of the defining images of her career. In high school, Cat took an advertising and design course that introduced her to some of the basics of editing, using programs like Photoshop and Fireworks.

When she got to college to formally study her passion, professors quickly realized Cat’s natural talent. One professor, telling Cat that she had something that couldn’t be taught, helped inspire her to start her own studio.

Cat left college and started her business: Cat’s Eye Studio. That was 10 years ago and the “love and adventure” photographer is now speeding along. Cat offers a unique photography service, focusing on real-life scenes alongside her subjects, rather than posed pictures.

“I just want to be there to capture genuine moments,” she said.

Those genuine moments have shown up in Cat’s work from her entire life, from a childhood along Maine’s coast to her move to Rangeley with her fiance, a federal employee working with the U.S. Border Patrol. Her work captures the “beautiful details,” such as Queen Anne’s Lace on her grandparent’s farm, a railing on the ferry that she would out to Islesboro, or the wide expanse of Height of Land.

“Photography has forced me to look at things that most people just drive by,” she said. “I try to find the beauty in the details.”

The show opening at the Lakeside Contemporary Art Gallery in February is designed to show growth, Cat said, both in her technical skill as an artist and her experiences moving away from the coast. While she had been all over the country and Canada, Cat noted, prior to the move to Rangeley she hadn’t visited Maine, west of Waterville. The experience, Cat said, had “completely captivated” her.

For more about Cat’s Eye Studio click here. Cat can be found on Facebook and Instagram.

FMI about the RFA and their programs and events, visit www.rangeleyarts.org. An opening reception for Cat’s Eye Studio will be held Feb. 16 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

[Editor’s Note: We’ve made changes to this article after speaking again with the artist.]