May 2022 Gallery Opening: Cathren Housley

In Providence this May:

Artist and Illustrator Cathren Housley

Whimsical Play and Soft Color!

For the month of May The Gallery at Sprout CoWorking (166 Valley St) is presenting an exhibition of twenty framed illustrations by artist Cathren Housley. The playful, light show will feature Housley’s children’s book pictures created in a mix of mediums within one piece: watercolor, colored pencil, graphite and gouache (opaque watercolor).

The Gallery at Sprout Providence will be open to the public to see the artwork in-person weekdays from 9am to 3pm, or by appointment. The exhibition will be on view May 9th-30th.

Gallery Night Providence May 19th:

Gallery Night Providence is back on the Third Thursday of the Month. Please join us at Sprout CoWorking Providence on Thursday May 19th 5-8pm for an opening celebration of Cathren Housley’s works. All are welcome to stop in to the Gallery at Sprout Providence anytime between 5-8pm on May 19th to enjoy the artwork, wine and appetizers.

If you’d prefer a guided tour experience, free guided Gallery Night trolley tours will be available to visit multiple galleries throughout Providence with the Gallery at Sprout as a stop on the itinerary. We hope to see you there!

About the artist:

Cathren Housley began her illustration career working as an in-house illustrator for Paramount Greeting Cards in Pawtucket. She went on to produce her first independent line, Cameo Park, for for Amcal, Inc. in California. This 24 card collection of whimsical animals was the start of a life long involvement in the world of children’s art and literacy.


After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design’s Children’s Book Illustration program in 2008, Cathren illustrated two classic tales for MeeGenius.com: The Lion and The Mouse, and Jemima Puddleduck. Next came illustrations for Winston the Water Dog by Mary Korr, which won a Mom’s Choice Silver award. In 2010, Pelican Publishing chose Cathren to illustrate The Christmas Cats by Nancy K. Wallace. Cathren co-wrote and illustrated her 5th book, Rubi Finds A Home, with Stacy Rubinowitz. It was published in 2014 and won a Mom’s Choice Gold Award.

Since 2012 Cathren has been awarded 19 grants by the RI State Council on the Arts for developing and teaching children’s arts programs in the Providence Community Libraries. These workshops inspired Cathren’s animated children’s film, The Land of the SkyFighter, which premiered at the 2017 RI International Film Festival.

Since the pandemic, Cathren has been freelancing as a columnist and feature writer for Motif Magazine RI and NRI NOW news on the web. She is currently teaching a 10 week virtual/in-person arts and literacy workshop at Smith Hill Library, “Paper to Puppets”. Cathren Housley lives and works out of her home studio in East Providence, RI.

If you’d like to know about the artist’s work and process, you can check out a wider selection of illustrations online here.


Sprout is in accordance with the Reopening RI guidelines and is protected by Ocean State Shields. Contact: [email protected] for more information.