Studio Visit with Catherine Stewart
Fellow artists be warned............ After seeing these pictures you will be green with envy! Catherine Stewart has the most AMAZING studio I have ever seen, and I've seen a LOT of studios.
Nestled amongst the mountains just outside of Beechworth Victoria lives a very dedicated artistic duo, Catherine and her husband and manager Glenn. I've managed to squeeze in a visit on my way down to Melbourne for a friends baby shower and boy am I glad I did. I'm totally blown away by this place and the people who inhabit it. It's always a little nerve wracking visiting someone you've never met at their home and knowing you need to get along so you can work together..... I've never felt more welcome and at ease with people I've just met.
First lunch. Rice paper rolls and sushi from a new little place in town, delish! We sit and chat and drink tea while I try to find out a bit about this artist. Catherine recently gave up teaching to work full time as a practicing artist, and geeze it must be hard work dragging yourself down to this studio everyday to surround yourself with beautiful views and gallery walls covered in vibrant colourful paintings and collages. There's even a functional kitchen with massive amounts of storage out the back.
Catherine's paintings are everywhere, so much colour and movement and vibrance, it's a visual delight! Birds, landscapes, flowers and buildings dominate the subject matter. All of the pieces appear to move, you can picture the work being painted as you view it. Neon pink makes an appearance in most if not all of the paintings.
Other materials are used as well, like old books, feathers and birds nests. Some of these mixed media gems are on their way to The Corner Store Gallery. Small, minimal collages featuring oil paintings of birds with old book pages and feathers can be found along side large scale paintings on linen. There is so much variety here, yet Catherine's style and pallet are instantly recognisable. I'm so looking forward to this exhibition and the surprises it will unveil.
My Terrain by Catherine Stewart is on show at The Corner Store Gallery from November 12 - 29 with an opening night on Friday the 13th form 6pm, ALL WELCOME!
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