Karina Cavat is a visual artist and a children’s art teacher. Born and raised in Rome, Italy near the American Academy where both her parents worked as professional artists, Cavat would watch her mother paint from her playpen, asking as a toddler; “mama what are you doing?” and “can I do that too?”

She has over twenty-five years teaching experience working in public and private schools, colleges, museums and community art centers. Since 2008 she has worked as a teaching artist for Studio in a School, a non-profit arts organization whose mission is to foster the creative and intellectual development of New York City youth through quality visual arts programs in public schools. Before working with children, Cavat taught art to undergraduates as an adjunct professor at UCSB and at SBCC in California. She also held a position as an adjunct for a number of years at Parson, School of Design in NYC. Cavat received a B.F.A in painting from SUNY Purchase College, an M.F.A in painting from Parsons, School of Design as well as an Advanced Certificate in art education K-12 from Brooklyn College. She was a student of Elaine de Kooning, Leland Bell, Paul Resika and Robert de Niro, Sr.

She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in painting to Italy, returning to Rome in 1984 to work and live near where she once lived as a young girl.

Cavat has exhibited nationally, maintains an art studio in Manhattan and is at present working on a series of large-scale casein paintings depicting imaginative garden visitations.

Karina Cavat, “Reap”, 2020. casein on paper, 66×84