Cary Spotlight Connect 🎧
Host: Dr. Chris Coetzer
Guest: Kate Titus, Artist and Owner of Kate Titus Creative
Painting Life's Moments with Kate Titus
What happens when a lifelong passion for art meets a love of travel and storytelling? In this episode of Cary Spotlight Connect, host Dr. Chris Coetzer welcomes Cary-based artist Kate Titus, owner of Kate Titus Creative, to explore her creative journey from childhood pastels to photorealistic landscapes and personalized portraits.
Kate shares how cycling adventures across Europe inspire her paintings, why a recent summer in France rekindled her passion for pastel portraits, and how she captures personality through the smallest details, beginning with the eyes.
Listeners also discover the process behind commissioning a custom portrait, the importance of choosing meaningful photographs, and how artwork can preserve treasured memories of loved ones and pets.
Whether you're an art enthusiast, a traveler, or searching for a thoughtful gift, Kate's story offers a refreshing perspective on creativity, lifelong learning, and the beauty of seeing the world through an artist's eyes.
Kate Titus, the artist (Photo Credit: Kate Titus)
What You’ll Learn
How Kate's artistic journey began with a box of pastels at age three and evolved into a lifelong creative career.
Why cycling through Europe provides inspiration for her photorealistic landscapes and café paintings.
How a summer visit to France reignited her love of creating pastel portraits.
Why Kate begins every portrait with the eyes to capture her subject's personality.
What goes into commissioning a custom portrait from a photograph, including materials, sizing, and artistic process.
How personalized portraits of children, grandchildren, family members, and pets can become meaningful, unexpected gifts.
Memorable Quotes
"My mom gave me a package of pastels when I was three and I really haven't stopped since then." — Kate Titus
"I couldn't be an impressionist if I tried hard because I don't see things blurry." — Kate Titus
"That gives me an intuition of who they are, even if I just have a photo and I don't know them." — Kate Titus
"I imagine them how they are. And sometimes that's more truth telling." — Kate Titus
Call to Action
Discover Kate Titus's photorealistic paintings and personalized pastel portraits at her website. Explore her portfolio and contact her to discuss commissioning a one-of-a-kind portrait of a loved one or pet. Subscribe to Cary Spotlight Connect for more inspiring conversations with the creative people and local entrepreneurs shaping the Cary community.
Website
Resource Links
Pastel Society of North Carolina — Mentioned in connection with its annual exhibition in Wake Forest, featuring one of Kate's portraits.
Cary Spotlight — Dr. Chris Coetzer's hyperlocal newsletter highlighting the people, businesses, and stories of Cary, North Carolina.
Stats & Moments
Age 3: Kate received her first package of pastels, beginning her lifelong artistic journey.
10 years: Before moving to Cary, Kate spent approximately three months each year cycling through Europe with a friend.
30–36 inches: Typical dimensions of her larger acrylic landscape paintings.
10 × 13 inches: Typical size of her pastel portraits.
8–10 hours: Average artistic time Kate spends creating a single pastel portrait.
Recent exhibition: One of Kate's grandchild portraits was selected for the North Carolina Pastel Society's annual exhibit in Wake Forest.
Chapters
00:00 — Welcome to Cary Spotlight Connect
00:43 — Kate's lifelong passion for art
01:39 — From creative beginnings to exhibiting locally
02:44 — Cycling adventures and photorealistic painting
04:03 — Rediscovering pastel portraits in France
05:42 — Capturing personality through photographs
06:36 — Portrait sizes, materials, and preservation
08:37 — The creative process behind custom portraits
10:15 — Exploring new artistic projects and techniques
11:27 — European cafés and cycling inspiration
13:42 — Personalized portraits as meaningful gifts
15:03 — Connecting with Kate and exploring her artwork
15:44 — Closing remarks
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