Catherine Eyde

SWEET LOVE
Paintings and Drawings
2010

Catherine's latest series AFTER THE RAIN was unveiled in 2008. Highly refined and detailed, this series of mixed-media paintings exemplifies her continual development as an artist. Curious, wacky and sometimes dark, AFTER THE RAIN was influenced by her very young daughter, childhood memories and the changes life offers.

New York City afforded Catherine Eyde the multicultural experience she long sought. The ordinary, such as a walk to the subway, became extraordinary as the world around her breathed new sounds and shapes. Catherine's New York paintings are greatly inspired by the crowded buildings and the grand scale of diverse people living closely together. Upon returning to Tucson, Catherine's artwork reflected the physical and emotional aspects associated with pregnancy. Motherhood and the amazement of her daughter continue to inspire the current direction of her work.

Inspired by the artist's heritage, BELLYDANCERS AND BIRDS is a series of hand painted, mixed-media drawings. Also inspired by Eyde's sister, who is a belly dancer, the series combines the mystery and intrigue of Middle Eastern dancers with the symbolism of birds of freedom and peace. These intimate drawings, with their smaller scale, subtle detail and human content, are created with ink, colored pencil, gouache and acrylic on recycled archival paper.

Inspired by the art of Persia, India and Arabia, Eyde's paintings continue to evolve in eastern oriented work. LAND ESCAPES was created in 2004 and is Eyde's first body of work without the figure as a central focus of the picture. In these new paintings of idealized landscapes, Eyde has omitted the figure to encourage the viewer to escape to her surreal places of mystery, beauty and intrigue. The new works are rich with color, and lush landscapes surround places of comfort in the forms of tents, boats and bedding. Mountains are carved with passages, swirling clouds encircle the skies of red, yellow and blue, and trails of water flow throughout the work. Several curious trees are a part of each painting, their unique forms lead your eyes through the picture and convey somewhat of a human quality by the way they are positioned within the work. The paintings of Catherine Eyde's LAND ESCAPES are enchanting and will undoubtedly create the desire for a wondrous visual departure.

CHAOS of NOW, created in 2002-2003, comments on fear and uncertainty of the times. Ever present are the charming animals and female characters which previously populated her work, but there is a new element of danger in the presence of bombers and missiles. Always dense with symbolism, these paintings draw you in with their sweetness and color and it is only upon closer inspection that one notices the violence in the canvases and discovers a feeling of trepidation. The CHAOS drawings introduce some new characters in addition to several paintings of the same superhero "Stella" who symbolizes our protector in this CHAOS OF NOW.

CLOUDS AND LETTERS repeats the ever present woman character from previous exhibitions while adding the surreal imagery of clouds, letters, and deer. The paintings are built up with several thin layers of paint so, like jewels, they appear to glow from their custom made settings; one hesitates to call them "frames" because they do not trap the image within its boundaries but creates a haven for the piece, which in turn becomes an important part of the artwork. CLOUDS AND LETTERS represents the culmination of earlier themes and conveys a new sense of silent strength and resolution of subjects that have occupied the artist in the past.

Since 1992, Catherine Eyde's artwork has addressed themes of death and loss culminating in two exhibitions: ART MOTIVATED BY DEATH (1998) and "A SURREAL JOURNEY" (2000). In early 2001, her WOMEN IN SPACE! show explored the psychological journey of the artist's changing life and environment, a result of removing obstacles and exploring new possibilities. These past exhibitions have led Catherine to artwork that fuses her earlier exploration of death and escape with her middle eastern heritage expressed with elements of Arab, Persian, and Indian design.

Giclee prints are available for a number of Catherine's paintings. Created using archival inks and thick art paper, these prints are priced more affordably than the original painting. Giclee prints are a viable way to start an art collection or add to it.