Cathy Lawless is a self-taught artist whose love of art was rekindled in 1997 by a desire to capture her sons in drawings and paintings. Working primarily in pastel and watercolor, her favorite subjects include birds and other wildlife, pet portraits and farm animals from the Virginia countryside and her native Pennsylvania. However, her true passion is children's portraiture.

Cathy is a member of several art organizations, including the Virginia Watercolor Society and the Washington Water Color Association. Her work has received awards in local and regional juried shows, including an equal merit award at the 2004 League of Reston Artists Annual Judged Show for her pastel figure painting Graduation Day.  Her paintings, Reposing Cold and Silent and The Gatekeeper were selected for the Virginia Watercolor Society Annual Exhibitions of 2004 and 2006, respectively.