Cara Reische has always been attracted to the creative process. Born in 1967, she began drawing at the age of two. Early years were spent experimenting with all sorts of media, growing up in a home where the arts and self-expression were encouraged. Through grade school and into junior high, Cara had many interests, but the visual arts always proved to be a constant. At the age of fourteen, Cara's family moved from Savannah, Georgia to Salisbury, North Carolina. She attended two summer programs at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, and decided to enroll there for her senior year, knowing her future would revolve about some form of the visual arts. Following graduation, Cara was accepted as a foreign exchange student. She was placed with a wonderful family in Sardegna, Italy where she learned about the passion that fueled Italian artists. Italy, for Cara, became a second home�a place of inspiration. It was an invaluable experience, and Cara returns to her host family's home as often as possible. Now quite fluent in a new language and steeped in Italian culture, Cara entered the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. During summer breaks Cara would return to North Carolina where she received her first commissions as a professional artist. When she graduated she had already gained a reputation as a portrait artist and had a large enough clientele to open her own studio as a free-lance artist. Working primarily with oils and pastels, she was recognized quickly as an outstanding artist. Cara Reische currently lives in Salisbury, North Carolina with her husband, Jon Palmer, and their daughter Beetle.