Born in Seattle in 1938, Camille Patha’s art education began at an early age with drawing and ceramics classes at the Amelia Hart Art School for Children and at West Seattle High School. Beginning in 1956, Patha studied fine art at Arizona State University, where she developed her love of strong colors from the desert landscape. She returned to Seattle in 1959, earning a bachelor of arts and eventually a master of fine arts from the University of Washington (UW) in 1965. At UW, she struggled to express her passion for color because her instructors directed her to tone down her palette and painting style.

From the beginning, her professional career met with success. She has been working professionally for over 60 years and has exhibited throughout the Pacific Northwest region and won a number of awards. She has continued working tirelessly throughout her career.