Cath Duncan Art Copyright 2020

Contact Cath

Whatsapp or call: +31-06-27977366 (Utrecht, The Netherlands)

Email: cath@cathduncan.com

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Expressive and abstract paintings exploring the connections between our inner nature and the natural world around us. (Utrecht, Netherlands.)

I love how it looks in these warm and simply furni

I love how it looks in these warm and simply furnished spaces.

I think this one is finished. I love the peaceful

I think this one is finished. I love the peaceful feeling this composition gives me… is it the straight edges and soft colours that create that feeling? And I love the colour palette… the pinks were a surprise!

Crops from a new abstract landscape painting In wo

Crops from a new abstract landscape painting In working on… thinking about shape and colour, and playing with variations in edges…

Another painted paper collage abstract landscape f

Another painted paper collage abstract landscape from my imagination. This one is a bigger one… 1m x 1m. An impactful piece with a warm glow in the colour scheme.

I love the large blocks of flat colour contrasted with textured shapes. I’ve been painting alongside these paper collage works I’ve been making and it’s been so interesting to see the ways that I grant myself more freedom when I’m making collages compared to when I’m painting directly onto the canvas. And fun to see the ways that some of the compositional elements of my collages are creeping into my painting now. I’ll share more in due course!

I’ve shared several painted paper collage artworks in the past few weeks. In case you’re thinking, “She’s whipping these up really quickly!” … nope! I’ve been working on all of these over the past few months. I’m just posting the completed artworks now. These take just as much time and care as painting directly onto the canvas.

Another paint and collage creation. A playful abst

Another paint and collage creation. A playful abstract landscape from my imagination. This one is 50 x 50cm.

I’m finding collage to be an interesting way to let myself play and explore for compositions I enjoy without thinking too much about my subject, or getting diverted into creating more colours or textures. I only get to choose from the colours and textures already available amongst my papers, so it’s easier to let composition, shape, and pattern lead.

And as always, I love looking for crops of compositions I enjoy.

I’ve got a bunch of painted paper left over afte

I’ve got a bunch of painted paper left over after creating the Australian commission, so I’ve been playing and creating some more. This one feels like a walk in our local park on a misty Winter’s day when the trees are bare and the air is icy.

THE STORY OF “RED DUST ABD EUCALYPTUS” One of

THE STORY OF “RED DUST ABD EUCALYPTUS”

One of the most important aspects of my work is noticing, savoring, and capturing the sensory experience of a landscape or seascape. Perhaps this stems from the loss of some of my vision and hearing, which has made me treasure sensory experiences more than ever. Learning to live well with loss, grief, and trauma has shown me that slowing down to notice sensory details—especially in nature—doesn’t only inspire me creatively. It’s also grounding, calming, and sometimes even deeply healing.

EXPLORING THE LANDSCAPE

When creating a landscape painting, I usually like to immerse myself in the environment—walking, cycling, running, or swimming. Moving through the landscape allows me to explore more of it while also getting out of my head and feeling more connected to both my body and the sensory experience of the place. Since I couldn’t visit this landscape in person, I sought other ways to engage with it on a sensory level. I studied the photos the collectors sent, searched online for more, and used Google Earth to explore a “bird’s eye view”. I also looked for poetry, music, and descriptions of the area’s smells, sounds, and tastes.

What stood out to me most were the colours, shapes, and textures—especially the peeling, multi-coloured eucalyptus bark, the cracked red earth, and the striking aerial views of Dubbo I discovered on Google Earth.

FOLLOWING MY JOY

I began with colour explorations to develop my palette. If you’ve ever chosen paint for a room, you’ll know how different a colour can look on a large surface compared to a small swatch. To test my mixes on a bigger scale, I repurposed the brown paper packaging that I recycle from my art supplies and canvases, painting large sections to see how the colours translated. The results were unexpectedly beautiful—the brown paper showed through in places, adding depth, and some sheets had layers of paint from previous projects, creating rich textures and colour variations. I also loved how thinner coats of paint dried to a chalky, weathered finish, echoing the dry textures I’d been exploring in my research. (Continued in comments…)

Red Dust and Eucalyptus Acrylic paint and recycled

Red Dust and Eucalyptus
Acrylic paint and recycled paper collage
100 x 120cm

Last week I presented this completed commission to the collectors in Australia and it was so rewarding to hear their delight with it. Having never visited Australia before, my research process for this artwork was very different to my usual process of visiting and enjoying walking/ running/ cycling/ swimming/ photographing the landscape, so I was a little nervous about whether I’d be able to feel and capture the sensory and emotional - perhaps even spiritual - experiences of the natural landscape in New South Wales. I was so tickled to hear from them, “The artwork is amazing. We both love it! You’ve done a superb job with the colours and textures. You wouldn’t know you haven’t been to Dubbo. “

Happy dance!

(‘scuse my amateur videography and slipper cameo - too busy making art to learn how to make professional insta reels, and I figured rather scrappy than not at all)

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