Sink or Swim

My latest painting "Sink or Swim" says it all for 2012. I've completed about 14 paintings since August 2011 (at the Ondarte International Residency in Akumal Mexico), and am now looking for gallery representation world wide.
You can see the rest of the paintings on cathrynmcewen.com... the series is entitled Water Works www.cathrynmcewen.com/water-works-2011.html

Water Works

Getting 'into the flow' and working on my new series 'Water Works' which you can view on cathrynmcewen.com. After a successful exhibition at Gallery Aloft in Sydney Australia earlier this year, this series is a return to my interest in body language. This new series was begun and exhibited at the Ondarte Artist Residency in Akumal Mexico, where I was invited in July to be included in their first group of artists. 'Water Works' as a series deals with figures in water and is a continuation of my interest in body language, emotion and narrative. My intention is to extend the concept of a portrayal of a figure using the water to express something more about them through reflection or the surface qualities; an alter ego, a deeper emotion, a secret desire, or a darker side of the person involved. I am also busy looking for gallery representation around the globe on the back of the work I have achieved this year!

Adaptability

Adaptability can be good for the soul and one’s work. I have just completed 4 weeks at the Ondarte Residency in Akumal Mexico and several new paintings with a welcome return to figurative work.

It’s easy for us to play it safe, but then what’s the point of making safe art? I highly recommend a residency experience for those of you who are looking for a way to move forward in your work. When you put yourself in a position of vulnerability; a totally new environment; surrounded by a group of new individuals/artists that you live, eat and work with on a daily level; in a foreign country with a foreign language and sometimes unfamiliar customs; and faced 24 hours with your self and your work … you will surface changed in one or many ways. This can be very beneficial for your work especially. It gives the artist a chance to explore, experiment with new methods and ideas, and the benefit is a new group of friends and contacts from other parts of the world.

I also recommend staying as long as you can in order to get into a new body of work… this takes time even when you have al the time in the world for your work. Of course there are distractions, especially here in Mexico, but they will have to wait until the end of the month. For now, happy and busy and working toward a strong start to a whole new direction – for the better! Viva Ondarte and residencies in general!

Ondarte International Residency Exhibition July 23 2011

I've only been here at the Ondarte Artist Residency in Akumal on the Mayan Riviera of Mexico for 2 weeks and have already completed 3 paintings. Love it here and I'm looking forward to another month with a new group and more painting!
The residency is holding an open house for us on the 23rd of July and because we are the first group of artists, everyone is talking about the event and coming from far and wide! Thank you for the exposure Ondarte, and for the opportunity to be here! I know this place is destined to be one of the best as it is already world class in my book!
My latest work explores figures with the dualities of their ‘potential’ hidden psyches incorporated through the use of distorted reflections in water and through the use of shadows. I am interested in the idea of expressing an alter ego within a figurative representation, perhaps to reveal an underlying ‘darker’ side, or a hidden trait or association, or even a truer ‘self’.