About

My name is Catherine LaPointe-Vollmer

I create retro travel poster designs, as well as fine art landscapes in soft pastel.

Artist Statement

Growing up in a rural area surrounded by nature, I always took its abundance for granted. It wasn’t until I started traveling as an adult that I realized I didn’t need to go far to find the beauty that inspires me. My soft pastel paintings shine light on familiar sights and quiet scenes that I might otherwise have just driven by.

Whether working from my reference photos or en plein air, I try to capture the freshness of a moment before the light changes. I start by planning out the scene with simple thumbnail sketches in two or three values to identify interesting patterns of light and dark within the scene. I then simplify any details that might distract from this pattern, and illuminate the scene using the rich colors and textures of pastel.

I am especially drawn to patterns of light and dark in nature because of the scarcity of the sun in my northern climate. For a few brief moments, the sun holds the power to transform the shape of my surroundings before disappearing again. I believe there is beauty in the humble and mundane, if you look at it in just the right light.

Previous Design Work

Previous Illustration Work

Upstate NY-based artist Catherine LaPointe-Vollmer creates impressionistic landscape paintings in soft pastel as well as retro-inspired graphic posters. Her work centers on the effects of light and shadow on the landscape, with a particular focus on the distinct character and personality of trees.

Catherine hails from the "North Country", a rural area of New York State between the Adirondack Mountains and Canada infused with rivers, trees, and mountains. She developed a love of hiking and adventuring early on, and naturally sought to capture the views she found and put them to paper.

After completing internships with the Florence International Theater Company in Italy and Illustration House in New York City, Catherine earned her BFA in Illustration at Syracuse University. She moved back north to establish her freelance practice. A frequent traveler, her love of the natural world grew with each place she visited. This led her to a practice of plein air painting on location, and a focus on landscape art. She recently visited her 40th US national park, creating artwork inspired by her trips.