Caterina Tolone was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. She is a graduate of Confederation Colleges’ Arts Administration program. It was during this time in 2001, Caterina was employed at the Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia, in the Public Programs department. This was a pivotal moment in Caterina’s life, meeting artists from all over the world, observing and learning how to establish herself as an artist. She came back and went on to earn degrees in Fine Arts and Education at Lakehead University in 2006 with a focus in painting and graphic design. For the past twenty years, while creating original works of arts in her free time, she also works full-time as a high school teacher, teaching visual, media, Indigenous and performing arts. 

 

Caterina has been creating art since as long as she can remember as it is a source of expression and therapy. Inspired by lakes and oceans and the life and towns that live nearby, her paintings are large-scale and made up of mixed media such as rocks, crystals, paper and a variety of other materials. Her most iconic painting is that of the Sleeping Giant - a well known land formation that can be viewed from a distance at Thunder Bay’s waterfront. Caterina’s Sleeping Giant paintings contain rocks from the shores of Lake Superior that add energy from the earth right into her artwork. Her painting technique involves application of many thin layers to achieve a translucent effect that gives her painting a glowing effect in the light. 

 

Caterina is known for her involvement with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. As a past employee of the foundation she continues to use her artwork to give back to her community every year donating artwork whenever she can to help fundraise for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. 

 

To view Caterina’s portfolio of work, click on the link below.