About the Artist

Cathy Cranford Futral is an artist and retired art educator living in Sarasota, FL. She and her husband Jim love to travel throughout the US and abroad to visit museums, understand history, have fun, and admire nature. Among their favorite places to visit is Boone, NC, where they spend their summers.

Cathy has a love of teaching art, with 40+ years as an art educator, from kindergarten classes to college courses. The majority of her career was as the Professor of Art for South Florida State College, where for 20 years, she enjoyed teaching the various courses:  Drawing, design, acrylics, painting, watercolor, pottery, and art history. Cathy has a Master of Science Degree in Art Education from FSU and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Studio Art from UNC. She enjoys teaching painting classes for Cheap Joes Art Stuff in Boone, NC and Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL. She is also active in her many professional organizations including Florida Watercolor Society, and Florida Art Education Association, where she was awarded the Florida Art Education Association Higher Education Art Educator award.

Cathy’s painting parties, workshops, and private lessons are available to aspiring artists in Sarasota, during the months of September-April.  The same classes are held in Boone, NC, May-August.  A calendar for all of her events can be found here. Please call or e-mail to schedule a class.

Cathy is always available for art commissions, which include architectural renderings, pet portraits, and house portraits. For examples of her work, click here. For more information, click here.