Cathy Karklyn Smiler

Cathy Karklyn Smiler was born in San Francisco and has a degree in Art from UCLA, emphasizing painting and printmaking. Minoring in basketball, she was often seen waiting for tickets outside Pauley Pavilion with a drypoint needle and etching plate.

After UCLA she continued to paint as well as make paper, soap, mosaics, and trouble. As a member of the Kentwood Players community theatre group in Los Angeles she produced, stage managed, created sets, ran lights and sound, and the usual More.

Cathy's series of Altered Wigheads began when she was invited to be in a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) art exhibition, for which she created Estella, her first Altered Wighead. Since then she has completed several more Altered Wigheads. More of her work can be seen at her website WigheadsOnParade.com.

While living near Baltimore, Cathy had a dream that one day her Altered Wigheads would be exhibited at the American Visionary Art Museum, a wonderful space that is the quintessential definition of quirky. Sadly, to date this has yet to occur.

Cathy would like to thank City National Bank, Bank of Beverly Hills, World Trade Bank, Bank of Los Angeles, Santa Monica Bank, US Bank, National Bank of California, and Bank of Marin for subsidizing her artistic career. And of course Barry Smiler, with all my love.

Cathy currently lives in the Netherlands.