Cathy Locke paints portraits of children in oil and pastel. The pose can vary from being formal or very casual, to a completely made up fantasy environment as with the Magic Children's Series. The complexity of the pose can also vary from a portrait of just one's head to the full body. Cathy uses a highly controlled color palette to complement the child who is having their portrait painted, not only so that they look their best but also so that the painting is a strong work. She also controls the focal point so that the likeness of the person comes through and the environment around them remains soft, often out of focus. Cathy's style is extremely expressive which is why her portraits are so unique. Her feeling is that if you want a painting to look like a photograph then call a photographer. With Cathy's paintings there is no mistake that they are a valuable piece of original art that will be cherished forever.

The Magic Children's Series
In this series, Cathy captures those special moments that children create. Whether it's hiding in a secret place, twirling, or lost in their own world with a toy. If you choose to have a portrait of your child done in the Magic Series style then the focus will not be so much on a formal portrait of the child, instead the focus will be on the childlike behavior that makes that child so magical.