Cathie Bleck
Cleveland Heights, OH
www.cathiebleck.com
www.bonfoey.com
Education
1978 BFA University of Illinois
Solo Exhibitions
2015 Avance, Firecat Projects
2013 Fragility, Packer Schopf Gallery
2008 Mid-Career Retrospective,
New Britain Museum of American Art
2008 Mid-Career Retrospective,
Butler Institute of American Art
Group Exhibitions
2014 Egregore, Yves La Roche Gallery
2012 Juxtapoz 18, Copro Gallery
2011 Women Artists from the Collector,
New Britain Museum of American Art
2007 Picturing Health, Norman Rockwell Museum
Selected Collections
Victoria & Albert Museum
The Butler Institute of American Art
The New Britain Museum of American Art
The Library of Congress
Artist Statement
When I was a girl I fell in love with darkness. The tools I work with - pen, ink, fine knives and clay - became natural choices for me to observe and record the world in close detail, and to best orchestrate the balance between opposing forces where all species are challenged to maintain an equilibrium in a world of constant change. I am drawn, too, to my medium’s affinity with wood engraving, which evokes references to former artistic traditions and styles. Imagery for this project is both personal and historic: a recent sailing trip in the San Juan Islands near Washington State. I basked in the moonlight, out in the open ocean, imagining the solitude and sounds that spoke to the early explorers in this forested paradise.
My explorations in kaolin clay/sgraffito have come full circle, so to speak, with this cylindrical natural object of the ostrich egg. A fine sanding of the egg prepared a rougher surface for the multiple layers of clay to bind to; each left to dry before the next applied. After a few centimeters of clay filled the surface I sanded the egg and a smooth sensory painting surface emerged. Ink mixed with lacquer was selectively painted on and then carved through, revealing my imaginary narratives.