Nature is my soul mate. Through art, I seek discovery of facets of human personality and interaction uncovered by analogy in the natural environment. Thus, my art is an assault with the elements of painting on nature’s secret realities. Color is my weapon of choice. The shore and trees hold special grails. Other life priorities of myth building and magic making with family spill into my art. All this allows me to create many different nature trails for viewers to explore visually. In art and in life I enjoy my creature comforts, but I choose to hike through the rough terrain that holds the pulse of nature. I also make monotypes and photographs. A broader goal with all my art is to boost the priority of conservation of natural resources by stimulating awareness of nature’s persona.
I want the viewer to explore the work—to see more about the experience it represents as he or she spends time taking it all in. This is what leads me to include separate complete images, photographed or painting, in some works. These images are intended to expand the dimensions of viewing.
I am a professional artist. I will always be a student of art and will add the lessons learned to the vocabulary of artistic language available to my creative process. Having a "style" or being technically innovative is important only if those facets of art serve my broader search for articulation of visual reality. I use the gifts from the many historic artists to further this exploration. These artists include Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse, David Hockney, Hans Hoffmann, Charles Burchfield, Al Held, Robert Rauschenberg, and the Australian Aboriginal peoples. To extend that each work articulates my individual response to a person, place, event or feeling, it will be unique because the self who arbitrates its emergence is by definition unique.
- Catharine Johnston Westlake
Catharine Westlake has been exhibiting extensively throughout the Northeastern United States since the late 50’s. With recent solo exhibitions at the Dodge Pratt Northam Art and Community Center, Boonville, NY and the Hamilton Center for the Arts, Hamilton, NY. Her work is held in private collections throughout the Untied States and Japan. She holds a degree in Art History from Smith College and has studied at the Arts Students League, SUNY College at Purchase, Hamilton College and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.
