CATHERINE RAMEY
ABOUT:
Catherine Ramey was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1953. She began a theater career as a novice actress in NY in the 1970’s. After a few years of performing, her love of visual art led her to The Brooklyn Museum School and then years of exploring painting, photography, and experimental film making. She began exhibiting paintings in NYC in 1987.
“I think my early training as an actress influences my approach to painting. The imagery isn’t pre-determined; rather it is an experience of emotional timbre and a spiritual dive. The surfaces relay a physical density and luminosity while remaining mobile and fluid. I often use mylar as a painting surface and apply oil paints with sumi brushes and palette knives to achieve a range of marks and a depth of resonance.
Asian philosophy has long been an inspiration and in particular, the concept of Wabi-sabi, an aesthetic that finds beauty in imperfection and transience. I start with a form, but the form is no more or less important than the feeling that surrounds it and the deeper, more enduring intangible, that cradles that feeling.”
She has divided her time between the Lower East Side in NYC and a rural community in upstate New York for the last twenty-five years. The influence of organic references and lyrical motifs has come from cultivating a garden and contemplative moments in the countryside.
Exhibitions:
IN THE SAME WORLD May 7 - June 12, 2022
SELECTED WORKS