Catherine Muller
Artist statement
As a visual language, art informs the viewer. Words have a powerful impact; visual information reaches far beyond & can be far more moving than mere words. This visual imagery, conveys the artists feelings, emotions and attitude toward a particular subject, and is often extremely personal.
My training has been in contemporary conceptual art, where one composes a body of work to form an exhibition, fleshing out the concept and displaying it visually. I do not pursue this methodology faithfully but rater use these principles to inform my creative process which i aim to keep positive and uplifting.
In my work i aim to feel my subject and to convey the emotion it invokes in me. Wild animals remain my favorite subjects and i have spent many years observing and photographing these animals in several game parks across Southern Africa. There different species have specific proclivities that i aim to make apparent in my portraits so he viewer may learn something about these magnificent creatures and that i may never forget.
Water is another favorite, usually an internal part of my landscapes. These landscapes need to convey an emotion; the stillness and quiet of the early morning, the roar of the sea, a mood must be apparent and perpetuated to enhance my memories of the place. It is imperative to me that i only paint places i have visited myself & have personally photographed.
In short: a visual depiction of a scene is not my intention, but rather to create a personal response to the subject. I find color contributes greatly to my experience and therefore use a lot of color in my work, not necessarily true to nature. Aspects of the scene may not be detailed so as no to detract from the focal or emotive subject.
Bio
Living in Martinez, Augusta GA
Previously from Hillcrest, KZN, South Africa
Matriculated in 1979
Married with two adult children & 3 grandchildren
Worked as an Architectural and Structural Steel Draughts person
Dabbled in these facets of art:Painting:Acrylic, oil, silk & glass:drawing:batik:printing:silk screening:linoleum, soft ground etching:sculpture:building forms in clay, creating a silicon mold and casting.
Cmas Scuba Diving Instructor; Dan Instructor - Diving First Aid/Oxygen, Dangerous marine life.
2007-2015 BVA (Bachelor of Visual Art), focus on contemporary conceptual art. I received a distinction for Honors exhibition and was awarded the 2015 Uniza Excellence Award.