|
|
|
|
Artist Statement:
My statement is simple. No
matter what I do artisticly, I
feel as if I have given birth
when I finish. It's possible
I endured some "pain" in the
process of getting it exactly
like I wanted it, or it could
have been a pain-free
experience. Either scenario
...
Further Information
| |
Artist Exhibitions:
Coming Soon!
|
|
Artist Galleries:
Coming Soon!
|
|
Artist Reviews:
Coming Soon!
|
|
Collections:
Coming Soon!
|
|
Commissions:
Coming Soon!
|
|
|
Cathy Matthews Biography:
| Biographical information for Cathy Matthews can be found below. The artist may choose what information to display. Sometimes the artist chooses not to display personal information to the general public. |
|
Age
|
55
|
| |
| Gender |
Female
|
| |
| Status |
Married
|
| |
| Children |
1
|
| |
| Religion |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Hobbies / Interests |
I love all types of painting, from fine art to decorative painting. Working with clay is another passion. I make time to read every single night, and it's usually fiction with historic references. Fishing is my favorite summer activity. |
| |
| Favorite Artistic Medium |
Painting Oil
|
| |
| Favorite Arthistory Movement |
Renaissance - (1400 - 1600)
|
| |
| Favorite Visual Artist |
|
| |
| Favorite Work of Art |
|
| |
| Biggest Artistic Inspiration |
|
| |
| Why Did You Become An Artist |
The very first piece of art I remember creating was a chalk drawing of the Washington Monument in about the third grade. My teacher displayed it on the bulletin board. I'm sure she displayed the others too, but I only remember mine. I was really proud of it, and maybe that was really the beginning, My mother, though, was my real inspiration and driving force. |
| |
| Your Personal Biography |
I live in China Grove, North Carolina very close to where I was born and raised. My husband and I have been married for over 25 years, and I have one son and two lovely grandchildren. My experience in painting goes back at least 27 years. I love to work in oils, watercolor and acrylic mediums. My first art teacher was my mother, Elaine Benfield. She and my late dad, Clyde, continue to inspire me through encouragement and the memory of it.
Mother coerced me into going and paid for my first watercolor workshop with Mariam Simpson of New York many years ago. We took it together; and to this day, still laugh at our first paintings. It was very appropriate that we were taking the class in an elementary school room. We laughed so hard we thought “the teacher” was going to throw us out. The first-grade artwork on the wall looked much better than what we did. It was absolutely necessary to stop by the store and buy mats for our paintings before we unveiled our work to my dad and husband. It really did make them look better .....a little. My next teacher was Bertha Michelle of Salisbury, North Carolina, who gave me private instruction in watercolor.
I’m not sure of her age, but she was very experienced and such an inspiration to me. She critiqued an oil painting for me that I had done outside of her studio; and I still remember how I felt when she gave me her honest opinion. She said, “You’ve never studied trees, have you? Your limbs look like rubber hoses!” It hurt at the time, but it was true. Now I never paint a tree branch without thinking of rubber hoses. She would also say “it’s just a piece of paper”, so thinking of it that way made me less afraid to mess up. Her house was full of her paintings.
One I remember in particular hanging in her hallway was of fried eggs on a plate. I had never thought of an egg as a subject until then, but it made a great picture. We’d have a break during the class; and she’d serve baklava she had ordered from a catalog. Writing about her really does bring back a lot of great memories. I don’t know if she’s still alive, but I would love to tell her what she meant to me because I don’t think she ever knew. When I lived in Virginia, I had another teacher that was also inspirational.
His name is Wayne Chambers. At the time, he lived in the same development I did. So when he retired and started painting fulltime, he was good enough to allow me to be his very first student; and, in the beginning, he taught me privately. Then others started to join the class of varied backgrounds. I truly enjoyed him and his style of painting. I learned to loosen up quite a bit. My time with him and the other students was the highlight of my week. So you can imagine how disappointed I was to find out he was moving. He now has a great career as an artist in Savannah, Georgia.
Working with clay is another artform I find very rewarding. Handbuilding and the wheel are both fun for me. I have been sculpting on a small scale for about 4 years as well.
My studio is a peaceful place where I can reflect and think. I owe my husband big time for putting up with me and my idiosyncrasies during construction. It turned out exactly like I wanted.
|
| |
|
send an email
