Artists
Statement My
creativity feels like a divine gift to me, and I honor the gift by making my art
about Spirit. I am inspired by the places of ancient ritual and celebration, such
as the megalithic, solar aligned temples of Malta, the standing stone circles
of Stonehenge, and images of the Divine Feminine in all her guises. I want to
express the numinous quality of life, where the elements of nature and the stones
and the places of power come alive and speak to us on a deeper level.
In particular, the images of Malta have fascinated me for nearly 10 years. This
tiny island in the Mediterranean has the oldest megalithic temples on the planet,
predating the Pyramids and Stonehenge. Some are carved out of solid limestone
underground, on three levels with over thirty rooms. Others are huge stones aligned
in such a way that they shine a beam of sunlight down the center aisle on the
equinox. The temples hold a promise of a creative, cooperative community that
valued the rhythms of nature, honored artists, the ancestors, and celebrated spirit
in their daily lives. While on a pilgrimage there in 2004,
a dream came to me about how the temples were built and what happened when the
culture disappeared. The dream became a story that has guided my work.
In Neolithic times the cave artists were also the shamans, who traveled deep into
the earth, not to make decorative art, but to have transformative experiences
that involved communication with the spirit world. The act of creation is a sacred
act of transformation. When I am making something I am manifesting my world. I
contemplate the nature of things seen and unseen-- often floating in a state I
call "art trance". The
mystery and uncertainty of things attracts me-- the images of doorways, with an
unknown just beyond view; to layer things so that images are obscured and speak
to the subconscious; to etch things in with the intent of scraping out; the push
and pull of ink on a plate that evokes an image from the barest trace of ink.
I am always intrigued by where the journey of the plate takes me. I
hope my work will connect with you on deeper intuitive levels so that you can
experience the Spirit within the making. List
of Shows Upcoming-
"Spirits Strong as Stone", Sebastopol Center for the Arts Gallery II,
June-July 2008 Upcoming- Art at the Source Open Studio 2008 May 31- June 1
and June 7-8, 3840 Finley St. SR "Impressions 2006 Print Show"
Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol CA, March-April 2006 "Originals--
The Fine Art of Printmaking" Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA June 2005 "Hot
off the Press", The Studio Print Shop, Santa Rosa CA, May 2004 Annual Open
Studio, Studio Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa CA, 2002 - 2007 "Thresholds" Solo Exhibit,
Coffee Bazaar, Guerneville CA, September 2003 "Shrines/Icons/Mystical Places",
Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol CA, October 1998 "Expressions of
the Feminine Soul", Wilson Street Gallery, Santa Rosa CA, April 1996 "Woman
Creating", Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa CA, March 1995 "Piece
by Piece: Collage", Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol CA, February 1995
Solo Exhibit, Coffee Bazaar, Guerneville CA, August 1994 "The Art of Ink",
Santa Rosa City Council Chambers, Santa Rosa CA, November-January 1994 "Printed
Matters", Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol CA, January 1994 "The
Art of Ink", Whistlestop Gallery, Santa Rosa CA, October 1993 "In Honor of
Pregnant Women", San Francisco CA, October 1993 "In Her Image: the Goddess
in Art", Quicksilver Mine Company, Guerneville CA, March 1992 "In Honor of
Pregnant Women", The Family Gallery, Duncan's Mills CA, March 1992 (co-curator)
"The Mask", Quicksilver Mine Company, Guerneville CA, September 1990 Sonoma
County Fair, Santa Rosa CA, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, (Best of
Show) Sonoma County Harvest Fair, Santa Rosa CA, 1994, Best of Medium
Marin County Fair and Exhibition, San Rafael CA, 1991, Honorable Mention and
appearing regularly at the Winter Solstice Goddess Crafts Fair each December in
Sebastopol, CA and the Bodega Seafood, Art and Wine Festival in June in Bodega,
CA Caren
Catterall's received her BFA in printmaking from California College of Arts and
Crafts in 1978. She has worked at the Santa Rosa Junior College for 14 years in
the print classes as the lab technician. Her studio, which includes a 28" x 48"
Sturges star wheel press and a smaller Ettan press, is in Santa Rosa, CA. She
also manages The Studio Print Shop, a membership
organization for experienced printmakers who share her studio space. |