ReFramed, Garter Lane Gallery, Waterford - June/July 2015
This exhibition combined selected paintings from the 2014 exhibition ‘Essence & Existence’ with new works completed over the following 6 months and in so doing introduces different perspectives on the work. While the imagery and content remain consistent, new techniques and altered compositions introduce new and exciting juxtapositions adding an additional sense of invention, discovery and excitement.
The paintings are striking in their use of colour, surface and form drawing from a range of diverse sources and influences including multi-cultural religious iconography, fashion and architecture. The resultant experience is sumptuous, engaging and ultimately enriching; rewarding both the eye and the mind of the viewer – these are sensitive and joyful works. The stylized abstract imagery draws parallels with Islamic art in it’s use of geometry and the arabesque while the sumptuous colour and extensive use of gold pigment recalls the rich tradition of Christian icon painting.
While the previous incarnation ‘Essence & Existence” framed the works within the concept of ‘being’ and demonstrated the essential nature of these works in the artists own life this reframing unashamedly invites the viewer to savor the visual; to immerse themselves in the intricacies of mark and shape, of colour and surface and to draw from the experience a positive affirmation of the importance of beauty in our lives – for as acclaimed Japanese architect Tadeo Ando states “There is a role and function for beauty in our time.” These paintings resonate with the richness and joy of life, presenting a visual experience that is both instantly engaging and rewarding of careful inspection - they are above all intricate works of positive affirmation that exist to be reflected upon and enjoyed.
Source Gallery, Thurles, Co. Tipperary - March 2015
Iontas Gallery, Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan - Nov. 2014
Essence & Existence II - Luan Gallery, Athlone - May 2014 [Sunday Business Post - See REVIEW]
An updated exhibition of paintings, comprising works last seen in the Signal Arts Centre but expanded to include additional works painted specifically for this exhibition.
Essence & Existence - Signal Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow. June 2013
This exhibition of paintings, executed over the previous 2 years present a rich and intricate body of work demonstrating the characteristics that are hallmarks of this artists ouvre - attention to detail, complex layering of information, intricate building of surfaces and rich colour relationships are all vital aspects of her work.
The paintings present a visual feast of colour, surface and form. They reward careful investigation due to the complexity of layered information drawn from sources as diverse as religious iconography, contemporary fashion and architecture. The resultant experience is sumptuous, engaging and ultimately enriching; rewarding both the eye and the mind.
The title of the exhibition “Essence & Existance” encourages the viewer to frame their experience of these works beyond the seductive decoration and pattern initially suggested by these works. In existential thought, “human beings create their own values and determine a meaning for their life. By posing the acts that constitute him or her, he or she makes his or her existence more significant.”Through these works Catherina affirms an essential aspect of her ‘being’ the paintings act as both illustrations and valadiations of her existence. These paintings reflect and crystalise her thinking and nature, so in a sense they can be viewed as autobiographical, as vital a part of this artists existence as breathing.
For the viewer their colour, vibrance and complexity resonate with the richness and joy of life presenting a visual experience that is both instantly engaging and rewarding of careful inspection - they are above all intricate works of positive affirmation that exist to be reflected upon and enjoyed.Memory Box
2006 - 2007
Memory Box - The Dock Arts Centre, Carrick on Shannon, The Marketplace Arts Centre, Armagh, Wexford Arts Centre & The Marketplace, Monaghan.
2001 - 2002
Secret Senses - Fenton Gallery, Cork, Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda, Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick
Secret Senses is a series of 2.3m high sculptural panels comprising thousands of individually cast scented wax tablets which create a series of intimate spaces filled with colour and scent. The work is intended to interact with the exhibition space on multiple levels - visually, physically and emotionally. On a formal level it transforms and humanises the architectural structure of a space by creating intriguing sub-divisions or personal spaces. On an aesthetic level it introduces a dynamic 'splash' of colour and a more subtle range of scents to entice the viewer and create an area of pleasant calm. Colour is an important element within the work, coming mainly from the warmer end of the spectrum - reds, violets, oranges.
Due to the visual interaction of the various panels of colour the viewer is provided with a constantly changing vista as they move through and around the installation. Scent is used to evoke memories and to stimulate senses beyond the visual. The range of scents used is diverse creating new scents through interaction.
The work is designed to interact with both the viewer and the space in which it is presented. It operates on a human scale inviting the viewer to enter its enclosed spaces and explore its internal and external references. The positioning of the panels and the spaces created relate to the location in which it is presented - it may echo spaces within a building or contrast them.
This exhibition combined selected paintings from the 2014 exhibition ‘Essence & Existence’ with new works completed over the following 6 months and in so doing introduces different perspectives on the work. While the imagery and content remain consistent, new techniques and altered compositions introduce new and exciting juxtapositions adding an additional sense of invention, discovery and excitement.
The paintings are striking in their use of colour, surface and form drawing from a range of diverse sources and influences including multi-cultural religious iconography, fashion and architecture. The resultant experience is sumptuous, engaging and ultimately enriching; rewarding both the eye and the mind of the viewer – these are sensitive and joyful works. The stylized abstract imagery draws parallels with Islamic art in it’s use of geometry and the arabesque while the sumptuous colour and extensive use of gold pigment recalls the rich tradition of Christian icon painting.
While the previous incarnation ‘Essence & Existence” framed the works within the concept of ‘being’ and demonstrated the essential nature of these works in the artists own life this reframing unashamedly invites the viewer to savor the visual; to immerse themselves in the intricacies of mark and shape, of colour and surface and to draw from the experience a positive affirmation of the importance of beauty in our lives – for as acclaimed Japanese architect Tadeo Ando states “There is a role and function for beauty in our time.” These paintings resonate with the richness and joy of life, presenting a visual experience that is both instantly engaging and rewarding of careful inspection - they are above all intricate works of positive affirmation that exist to be reflected upon and enjoyed.
Source Gallery, Thurles, Co. Tipperary - March 2015
Iontas Gallery, Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan - Nov. 2014
Essence & Existence II - Luan Gallery, Athlone - May 2014 [Sunday Business Post - See REVIEW]
An updated exhibition of paintings, comprising works last seen in the Signal Arts Centre but expanded to include additional works painted specifically for this exhibition.
Essence & Existence - Signal Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow. June 2013
This exhibition of paintings, executed over the previous 2 years present a rich and intricate body of work demonstrating the characteristics that are hallmarks of this artists ouvre - attention to detail, complex layering of information, intricate building of surfaces and rich colour relationships are all vital aspects of her work.
The paintings present a visual feast of colour, surface and form. They reward careful investigation due to the complexity of layered information drawn from sources as diverse as religious iconography, contemporary fashion and architecture. The resultant experience is sumptuous, engaging and ultimately enriching; rewarding both the eye and the mind.
The title of the exhibition “Essence & Existance” encourages the viewer to frame their experience of these works beyond the seductive decoration and pattern initially suggested by these works. In existential thought, “human beings create their own values and determine a meaning for their life. By posing the acts that constitute him or her, he or she makes his or her existence more significant.”Through these works Catherina affirms an essential aspect of her ‘being’ the paintings act as both illustrations and valadiations of her existence. These paintings reflect and crystalise her thinking and nature, so in a sense they can be viewed as autobiographical, as vital a part of this artists existence as breathing.
For the viewer their colour, vibrance and complexity resonate with the richness and joy of life presenting a visual experience that is both instantly engaging and rewarding of careful inspection - they are above all intricate works of positive affirmation that exist to be reflected upon and enjoyed.Memory Box
2006 - 2007
Memory Box - The Dock Arts Centre, Carrick on Shannon, The Marketplace Arts Centre, Armagh, Wexford Arts Centre & The Marketplace, Monaghan.
2001 - 2002
Secret Senses - Fenton Gallery, Cork, Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda, Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick
Secret Senses is a series of 2.3m high sculptural panels comprising thousands of individually cast scented wax tablets which create a series of intimate spaces filled with colour and scent. The work is intended to interact with the exhibition space on multiple levels - visually, physically and emotionally. On a formal level it transforms and humanises the architectural structure of a space by creating intriguing sub-divisions or personal spaces. On an aesthetic level it introduces a dynamic 'splash' of colour and a more subtle range of scents to entice the viewer and create an area of pleasant calm. Colour is an important element within the work, coming mainly from the warmer end of the spectrum - reds, violets, oranges.
Due to the visual interaction of the various panels of colour the viewer is provided with a constantly changing vista as they move through and around the installation. Scent is used to evoke memories and to stimulate senses beyond the visual. The range of scents used is diverse creating new scents through interaction.
The work is designed to interact with both the viewer and the space in which it is presented. It operates on a human scale inviting the viewer to enter its enclosed spaces and explore its internal and external references. The positioning of the panels and the spaces created relate to the location in which it is presented - it may echo spaces within a building or contrast them.