Cath Crowther
Welcome to Kindred Calling’s Artist Spotlight, this is a new monthly feature where we get to know an artist whose work has caught my eye. This month Cath Crowther from West Yorkshire shares a little insight into her process, and shares some of her stunning colourful abstracts.
Can you share a little about yourself and your art practice
Having spent the last 9 years or so working in commercial interior design and bringing up my two boys I felt that the time was finally right to focus on my own art and design practice. I really wanted to be able to push my own creativity and see where it could take me so I set up a small studio and office at home to create original paintings with the eventual aim to also create artwork for interior products such as wallpaper and fabrics. Life suddenly took a different turn right at the start of this new venture and I found myself on my own again after over 20 years of marriage but my painting really helped me through a difficult time and the journey I was on became the inspiration behind my work.
When was the point that you decided to take your art practice seriously?
I'm very much an "all or nothing" kind of person so if I do anything it's all in but when I got divorced I really needed to focus on creating my own income as the interior design business was co-owned with my ex-husband so I really wanted to treat my painting as a serious business right from the start. I'm very much of the mindset that you need to act like the full time artist that you want to be right from the start
How has your work changed over time?
Originally I created textile artwork when the boys were young which was mainly based on abstract florals and seed-heads and very much inspired by pattern and led by the process of dying the fabric and the screen printing methods that I used. When I started painting again I wanted something much more immediate and intuitive and discovered that acrylics gave me that, allowing me to overpaint and re-work a piece until I felt that the painting carried the emotion that I was trying to convey.
How do you balance your time in the studio with other commitments?
Having finished working in the interior design business my studio time is now my main commitment so I try and keep as much momentum going as I can by being consistent with the hours that I spend on painting, marketing, admin etc. I do also try and get out in the fresh air and play golf on a regular basis as it can be quite easy to spend days on end in the studio and never see anyone new so I find it really important to have a hobby that gets me outside socialising!
Can you describe your studio / work space?
I have a small studio and a separate office at home. My studio has quite a high ceiling so I have one wall full of paintings from floor to ceiling that I can move around as I am working on them as I like to paint on quite a few at once and I have two tables that are just full of palettes, brushes and paints. I also have a drawing board and an easel so there isn't much floor space but I like to be surrounded by everything that I am working on and it's such a colourful, happy space I just love being in there.
Is there anything you like to listen to when creating?
It really depends on what I am working on and at what stage I am at with my paintings as to what kind of music I have on. If I'm at the start of some new work and I want to get some energy in there and just enjoy seeing what happens I have a '90"s Alt-Rock Girls playlist that I usually play as it's great for that but I do spend quite a lot of time just looking at my work and thinking about what's next so I have a Chilled Hits playlist that I just have on in the background for times like that. I always like to have something to listen to though!
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Going through so many big emotional changes in my life over the past few years I have spent a lot of time working on collections of work that are driven by this. Creating work that explored the feelings of excitement, joy and the trepidation of starting over was the inspiration for my first series of work entitled "A New Path" and I just find myself painting whatever I am going through at the time, pushing myself in my life and also in my work to be brave and create something that challenges me to be better.
How do you start a new piece?
I often start by writing things down, a lot of my work has words and phrases hidden amongst the layers, or by picking an initial colour palette and just making some initial marks and seeing what happens. I don't like to overthink the beginning but prefer to see where the painting takes me and be inspired by what interests me as the work progresses.
Do you have a secret to knowing when a piece is finished?
This is one of the hardest parts for me! I can easily overwork things so I find it useful to take pieces that I am happy with and think conveys what I am trying to say and put them out of sight for a while so I can go back to them a few days later with a fresh perspective. I might also take paintings into my living room where I can really step back and sit and look at them for a while to see how they feel in a different setting.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on a mini series called "But What if it Did?" which was inspired by a conversation that I had recently where I was listing every possible worst case scenario to a situation and giving every reason why it wouldn't work out and someone simply said to me "But what if it did?" and it just stopped me in my tracks and made me question how I was thinking. The work is full of energy and contains some colours that I am not used to working with and also more quieter, neutral spaces as I try and push myself to try something different. The paintings are all about imagining the best case scenario where you take a risk and are rewarded with something amazing.
Do you have a favourite piece?
The one that was the most satisfying to paint and just perfectly captured the way I was feeling really quickly is called "Beautiful Boundaries". I have spent a lot of time over the past year working on protecting my peace and setting boundaries and when this was really challenged by someone and I put everything I had learnt into practice I went into my studio the next day and painted this and it felt beautifully calm but with a quiet, uplifting energy and I just enjoyed painting it so much and loved it straight away and it's a piece that you can just sit and get lost in.
What advice do you have for artists who are wanting to start to share their work?
I really need to work more on this one myself as I know what I should do but am not the best at following my own advice! I would say show up consistently but also show yourself and the painting in progress. I love to see the person behind the work and learn their story but it's not always easy to put yourself out there when you aren't at your best or to remember to turn the camera on when you suddenly feel inspired but I think we all need to show the messy parts and the struggles rather than wait until we think everything is perfect because real life just isn't like that.
