ABOUT THE ARTIST
CATHERINE CARTER is an abstract painter inspired by the possibilities of LINE. The elaborate designs in her large-scale acrylic paintings refer to calligraphic marks, textile weaves, and the complex patterns found in Nature.
Catherine has exhibited her artwork at museums and galleries across the United States as well as internationally, including shows at the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, and the U.S. Embassies in Oman and Cameroon. Her artwork is held in public, corporate, hospitality, and private collections, and has been reviewed in the Boston Globe, the Providence Journal, and Art New England. She is also the recipient of an artist grant from the St. Botolph Club Foundation. With a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Painting from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, she works from her studio in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Catherine has exhibited her artwork at museums and galleries across the United States as well as internationally, including shows at the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, and the U.S. Embassies in Oman and Cameroon. Her artwork is held in public, corporate, hospitality, and private collections, and has been reviewed in the Boston Globe, the Providence Journal, and Art New England. She is also the recipient of an artist grant from the St. Botolph Club Foundation. With a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Painting from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, she works from her studio in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Lines hold for me many deeply rooted personal associations, gathered from a lifetime of experiences and interests. I enjoyed exploring the natural world as a child, so my lines echo the intricacy of branches, roots, stems, and vines. I studied dance in my teens, so my lines trace the pathways of the human form whirling through open space. My working career began in the fashion industry, so my lines mimic the twisting and looping fibers of cloth. These lines are autobiographical, telling my story. It's not a clear-cut narrative, but the suggestion of ever-unfolding change that celebrates the rhythms of life.
To create these words, I use fluid acrylic paint, extruded from squeeze bottles, in a motion that combines calligraphic form with gestural drawing. I then lay a sheet of paper over the wet squirted marks and run over it with a brayer, so that the lines are flattened, making them wider and softer. Sometimes I collage layers of paper or fabric that have also been covered with lines onto the painting's surface, in order to extend the impression of dimension. Thus my work incorporates the processes of drawing, painting, printmaking, and collage.
To create these words, I use fluid acrylic paint, extruded from squeeze bottles, in a motion that combines calligraphic form with gestural drawing. I then lay a sheet of paper over the wet squirted marks and run over it with a brayer, so that the lines are flattened, making them wider and softer. Sometimes I collage layers of paper or fabric that have also been covered with lines onto the painting's surface, in order to extend the impression of dimension. Thus my work incorporates the processes of drawing, painting, printmaking, and collage.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Otherworldly, Grimshaw-Gudewicz Gallery, Bristol Community College, Fall River, MA, 2018 (curator and participant)
Ornamental, The School of Fashion Design, Boston, MA, 2017 (solo)
Lines of Communication, Fountain Street Fine Art, Boston, MA, 2017
Show of Hands: Gestural Works on Paper, Fort Point Arts Community Gallery, Boston, MA, 2017 (curator and participant)
Contemporary Women Artists, Bristol Art Museum, Bristol, RI, 2016
Exponential: Four Artists Explore Infinity, Gallery at Mount Ida College, Newton, MA, 2013 (curator and participant)
Painting NOW, Grimshaw-Gudewicz Gallery, Bristol Community College, Fall River, MA, 2010
Art In Embassies Program, U.S. Embassy in Muscat, Oman, 2010-12
Art In Embassies Program, U.S. Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon, 2008-10
Sky, Stem, Stream, Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham, MA, 2005 (solo)
Ornamental, The School of Fashion Design, Boston, MA, 2017 (solo)
Lines of Communication, Fountain Street Fine Art, Boston, MA, 2017
Show of Hands: Gestural Works on Paper, Fort Point Arts Community Gallery, Boston, MA, 2017 (curator and participant)
Contemporary Women Artists, Bristol Art Museum, Bristol, RI, 2016
Exponential: Four Artists Explore Infinity, Gallery at Mount Ida College, Newton, MA, 2013 (curator and participant)
Painting NOW, Grimshaw-Gudewicz Gallery, Bristol Community College, Fall River, MA, 2010
Art In Embassies Program, U.S. Embassy in Muscat, Oman, 2010-12
Art In Embassies Program, U.S. Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon, 2008-10
Sky, Stem, Stream, Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham, MA, 2005 (solo)
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Bain Capital, Boston, MA
Berkshire Partners, Boston MA
Bessemer Trust, Stuart, FL
Boston Public Library, Boston, MA
Boston Ronald McDonald House, Brookline, MA
Columbus Lofts, Boston, MA
Cornerstone Research, Boston, MA
Cross Harbor Capital, Chicago, IL
Four Seasons Hotel, Boston, MA
Massasoit Community College, Brockton, MA
Meditech Information Technology, Fall River, MA
MGM National Harbor Spa, Oxon Hill, MD
Verenium Corporation, Cambridge, MA
Private collections throughout the United States and in New Zealand
Berkshire Partners, Boston MA
Bessemer Trust, Stuart, FL
Boston Public Library, Boston, MA
Boston Ronald McDonald House, Brookline, MA
Columbus Lofts, Boston, MA
Cornerstone Research, Boston, MA
Cross Harbor Capital, Chicago, IL
Four Seasons Hotel, Boston, MA
Massasoit Community College, Brockton, MA
Meditech Information Technology, Fall River, MA
MGM National Harbor Spa, Oxon Hill, MD
Verenium Corporation, Cambridge, MA
Private collections throughout the United States and in New Zealand