Kate McCavitt on Caring for an Artist’s Legacy August 31 2024, 0 Comments

Kate McCavitt on Caring for an Artist’s Legacy

By Kimberly Nicoletti

Here at Raitman Art Galleries, we not only represent artists, we also work with and care for them for a lifetime and beyond, sometimes managing their art estates.

We’ve known Kate McCavitt for nearly a decade, and in that time, we’ve gotten to know her as an artist, and a person.

“We’re just enamored with her,” says Brian Raitman. “She’s like family to us, and she has asked us to represent the art side of her estate when the time comes. Of course, we’re in no hurry to do that, but we are very honored that she would choose us to take care of something so precious and personal to her.”

McCavitt’s landscapes reflect the beauty of the environment, which she embellishes though lustrous layers and intense pigmentation that compel further exploration of her intricate detail.

Her story of developing a flourishing art career is an inspirational one — just like her paintings. It wasn’t until about age 50 that she began thinking about switching careers. She originally worked in telecommunications sales and customer service and then launched her own consulting business as a contractor for huge projects like universities and medical facilities. About 20 years ago, around age 57, she became a full-time artist.

“It doesn’t really matter when you start,” she says. “Starting late only means that you have a steeper learning curve.”

She began painting in her late 30s and spent 10 years training in Sumi-e, or Asian brush, with a contemporary Zen-style master. From there, she added color washes and metallics. As she evolved, she visited galleries, fairs and museums throughout the nation and studied with top artists.

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“In addition to taking workshops, the only other way is to practice, practice, practice and continue asking yourself, ‘I wonder what if …,’” she says, adding that you can learn as much from failure as you can from success. “You start down a path, take many, many side paths, and find that the ground is getting firmer and firmer to (create) an aligned path.”

By displaying four times at the annual Artexpo New York, considered the world’s largest fine art trade show, she found representation in galleries worldwide; from Dubai to Hawaii, and, eventually, when our paths aligned, our galleries in Colorado.

She chose us to represent her art estate based upon both our business and friendship relationship.

“The Raitman’s check all the boxes for the type of gallery they have and the individuals that you would want to be guiding your life’s works after you are gone,” she says. “They are smart, they are sensitive and they treat their artists well. They honor the artwork: They hold shows, and they promote their artists all the time.”

McCavitt’s granddaughter, who’s currently 23, will also work with us to ensure the work doesn’t become orphaned.

“My number one priority is that I don’t want it to be a burden. In the last few years, I’ve been accepting things as they are and just adapting and initiating change, and this is part of it. It’s the best way to move forward. We have no formal contract because of our mutual trust. We’re just working off of a memorandum of understanding that’s not full of a lot of legal language, but it works. Now my focus is simply to play my best game in my overtime,” says McCavitt, who turns 77 on Nov. 25, 2024. “I just want to convey that I was here and that I added beauty to the world. That’s all.”

"The Curtain Call"