Catherine Buchanan
Painter, Photographer, Writer & World-Traveler
From the Artist
Art projects are often an answer to a question. An idea that curiosity grabs and won’t let go. Can a painting offer a moment of peace? Illustrate a wish? Solve a visual problem? Motivation is built on answering questions. Given freedom from worry, the mind lights up and delivers, sometimes in a flash of inspiration after days of ruminating, occasionally through dreams, or my favorite, during conversations with people blessed with the ability to connect ambiguous thoughts in humorous and creative ways. Art is a joint venture between creators and observers, who often see something new and unintended by the artist.
I prefer to work late at night when the world is quiet, owls and crickets for company. Wandering through dusty halls of memory, combining colors that please the soul, longing for the moments when paint flows from brush to canvas as intended, or even better than imagined.
Biography
I studied photography at San Francisco State University and spent years photographing museum artifacts, while continuing to paint. My dog portrait paintings were exhibited throughout the San Francisco Bay area and published as a Pomegranate Press calendar.
In 1999, I sailed from Mexico to New Zealand, visiting over forty islands, later settling in American Samoa where I opened a thrift store and learned to paint people.
Molokai, Hawaii has inspired many painting series, from the life of Saint Damien to landscapes, dancers and local wildlife. Many are currently on display at Ho’olehua Airport.
After many years traveling, I settled in the Hudson River Valley, teaching art, showing locally with a group of artists through The Wired Gallery in High Falls, NY at the Mohonk Mountain House and painting in a studio that I built.