Melbourne-based artist Cathy Quinn is well recognised for her joyously fluid oil paintings. Her colourful abstracted landscapes take pictorial cues from the various locations she has visited over the years. Although the outdoor scenes are grounded in familiar terrain, they constitute a melding of such to create a personal vision. Quinn relates that mood is an important aspect in these works; experience of time and place evoke the feeling and direction of her painting.
Quinn’s latest body of work, From Within is an exploration of the artist’s distinctive process and an investigation into observations and perceptions. Quinn tells that the act of painting constantly surprises her. ‘Memories of place and time bubble to the surface and the outcome will reveal itself not when I am ready but when ‘It’ is ready.’
‘The start a painting is like the beginning of a journey,’ Quinn continues. ‘I choose a path but there are so many forks in the road and choices have to be made. Things curiously unfold during this process.’ Her starting point is a mapping out of intentions followed with intuitive brushwork that leads her into an interiority that conjures imagined landscapes from stored memories.
‘There is a definite shift in my mind and I’ve learnt that I can’t force it, I just need to wait until I get into the zone! The resultant ‘reveal’ presents as a melding of layers of luminous colour which push and pull until they settle on a path which delivers me to my destination. It really fascinates me, this rocky road of highs and lows. I have learnt to be patient with myself and to just stay with it.’
‘Atmosphere pertaining to weather, mood and life are very much at play in my works, they inform my direction and choices,’ muses Quinn. ‘Grief/abundance, joy/loss, hope/self-judgment – it’s a messy struggle at times but I’m a believer in using those rose-coloured glasses and adding a punch of colour to ease any situation. Only the start and the end are clear!’
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