Giovanni Lionti, a decorative iron artisan from Delia, Sicily and Caterina's father has had the greatest influence on
her work. From the time she was a small child, he filled her life with art, Italian opera, and weekend excursions to museums. Saturday evenings would find them sitting in a lecture hall at Albright College viewing masterworks and listening to travel lectures on Europe and its wonders.With Mr. Lionti's encouragement, Fay Caterina entered her first art show at the age of 12 and became the only child accepted into the exhibition at the Reading Art Museum. She notes with humor, she was unable to attend her first opening because it was past her bedtime. However, she remembers going to the museum the following day and viewing another artist's works hung in the same gallery. His name was Andrew Wyeth, and he had his painting for sale for $600. A note to all artists: his painting didn't sell!
After high school, Caterina moved back to the Liontis' homeland where she spent uninterrupted hours painting and sketching with occasional weekend trips to Rome to study the masters. Since her days in Europe, Caterina has continued traveling the world showing her work, forming personal relationships with local artists, and learning their techniques. These cultural influences are very present in her art from its swirling shapes to its bold colors. In each design, you can feel the tropical heat of the Caribbean and see the geometric and swirling organic shapes of her father's iron gates and wall sconces.