Catherine Thompson didn’t grow up wanting to be an artist, and it wasn’t until a study abroad trip to Italy that she found her love for painting. An advertising student at University of Texas at Austin, she spent her junior year studying abroad in Florence taking elective courses. “I didn’t have to take any particular courses while I was there,” she says. “I loved painting growing up, so I took painting as a one-off course.” Surrounded by work of the masters, Catherine grew to love the art of watercolor and continued her practice even after she returned home to Dallas. “Being there created this spark in me to just do it on the side whenever I could and learn different mediums,” she says.
After graduation, Catherine moved to New York where she put her degree to good use at Horizon Media, a NYC-local ad agency. But like many expats, Catherine returned home to Dallas during the 2020 pandemic and stayed put. She was still working full time and decided to bring out her old painting supplies as a stress relief activity, setting up a makeshift studio in her parents’ home. It wasn’t until she started posting her creations on Instagram that she realized her art could be her career. “I started posting some of my artwork, and people were reaching out wanting to commission a piece,” she remembers. “I just thought it was crazy that someone actually wanted to buy one of my pieces.” Her demand grew from there as she decided to pursue painting full time, reaching out to friends and family that she was open for business.
By August of 2020, CMT Art was born. Only now, her original bread-and-butter of flower-filled still lifes had grown into a wide range of personalizable portraits, with the majority of her time spent on custom paintings as wedding gifts. “It resonated with me early on how moved people were by receiving these custom paintings,” she says. “At my advertising job, I always felt like a small fish in a big sea but with painting, I didn’t realize the kind of impact I could make.”
Now, Catherine has a waiting list 6-8 weeks long to get on her books for a custom wedding portrait, and most of her clients are friends or family of the bride looking for something extra special to gift them after their big day. “Clients ask to get on my schedule six to eight weeks out from the wedding, then they’ll send me a few photos they snapped with their phone,” she says. “Then, I’m able to paint the portrait right when they send the pictures to me.” Many times, the quick turnaround means the bride and groom haven’t received any professional photos back yet, so this gift gives them something tangible from their big day while they’re waiting for their full gallery to come back. “It’s such a unique and special thing to receive right after your wedding,” says Catherine.
And because her wedding portraits are custom to the couple, Catherine focuses on capturing the entire weddings’ atmosphere and vibe, rather than just one moment. She asks her clients to send her photos of the flowers, venue, and decor, along with pictures of the bride and groom. She then takes inspiration from the wedding design itself and uses those elements to create the perfect portrait. “With a painting, you can remember the day exactly how you want to,” she says. “You can tag on different things that bring meaning to the portrait that you might not have in a photo.”
Find Catherine and more examples of her custom wedding portraits on her website and Instagram page.
