About

Although Catherine has been painting and creating art nearly all of her life, she first began painting large-scale photo-realistic pieces in the mid 1970’s. She continued to hone her artistic skills and sensibilities with a BFA in Painting & Photography from UWM in 1979, which immediately led to large mural commissions for the City of Milwaukee and the WI Arts Board among other clients.

This career path naturally led to the fast-paced Creative Industry, which was thriving in the mid-west during the 1980’s.

Mirage Backgrounds was officially launched in 1987 to serve professional photographers and a broad range of advertizing related clients with hand painted fine art quality backdrops, sets and faux finishes. [An impressive list of clients is available upon request]

Although the advertizing industry has changed considerably since the “early days” with the ever increasing availability of digital imagery and computerized processes, hand painted artisan canvases still lend a unique quality to a portrait or product shot that computers still can’t mimic completely.

Moreover, they can also lend a unique creative art quality to interior design environments either as stretched artwork or applied fabric wall covering [See custom hand-painted muslin wall covering installed in a Boca Raton condo under Custom work tab]

Mirage Backrounds, Inc. currently holds an inventory of over 200 high quality canvases and muslins ranging from 1 square foot to over 20’x30’ which are available to rent for photography shoots or special events as well as purchase for long term use or creative interior applications.

Custom work and commissions are always welcome – [See Custom Work tab for more examples] With nearly 40 years of accomplished creative experience, Catherine Lottes has the skills and expertise to provide your project with top quality artistic solutions that meet or exceed expectations.