Words and photos by Olivia Bauso

You probably know her as a co-owner of Scratch Bakeshop, a teacher of (super fun) cake decorating classes and an art maker, but here are a few fun facts you may not know about Kate Cassels...

 

 1. She's drawn to the beach.

Originally from Ocean City, Maryland, Kate will always be called to the water. She loves that she got to grew up near the ocean, and admits that she talks about her home state all the time. Kate moved to Rochester 9 years ago and loves the city, but misses the Maryland beaches. "I always make fun of the lake here because it's not a 'real' beach... I mean, it's freshwater," she laughs. She hopes one day to move back to the ocean: "It's just so tranquil and soothing."

 

2. Art is in her blood. 

Kate's artistry revealed itself at a young age, but with two creative parents she doesn't believe she had any other choice. She says, "My mother was my art teacher and my father is a goldsmith, so they are both very creative people who work with their hands in different ways. I feel like it was just in me to be interested in it." Kate admits she flocks to creative people, and her artistic friends have been huge influences on her own work.

 

 3. She used to play the trumpet.

Kate has always wanted to be a musician and for a year in fourth grade, she was the only girl in her class that chose to play the trumpet. This seemed to be a pattern in her childhood, as she was the only girl on her tee-ball team, too. She explains, "My parents always encouraged me to try something if I was interested in doing it, but I'm not a spotlight kind of person." After getting her pigtails pulled by her fellow trumpet players, Kate opted to join chorus with her girlfriends instead.

 

4. She has a degree in textile design.

Kate is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design where she majored in textile design. Though she wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to do with her degree, she really loved sewing and working with her hands. She adds, "I'm still not entirely sure what I want to do with my life. I changed my major a bunch of times and now I own a bake shop, but it was what I loved at the time!" Kate makes use of her textile training through frequent quilting, but has now shifted towards paints as a primary medium. This winter she set out to expand her painting skills, and participated in a 100 day challenge of creating new watercolor pieces every day. She says, "I love watercolor because you can sort of give up and control and work with what the paints want." Now, Kate considers watercolor her medium of choice.

View some of Kate's portraiture and floral watercolors, on display in our Gallery Room through the end of May.