Color and mark making are central to Cathy's paintings. People in motion and light are the focus of her photography. Her life as an artist began with a love of drawing the model and abstract oil painting which evolved into a focus on photography and people in motion In the last few years she has returned to painting.
Find her at www.cathymckelvey.com
In addition to her art practice Cathy is an active volunteer in her community.
My paintings are a mixture of abstract and naturalistic, inspired by the nature around the Wadden Sea, the changing light, the flat landscape with the high sky –
together with the impressions made by its inhabitants, people and creatures alike - mixed with a bit of fantasy and a brush of humour."
Working on someone else’s work, someone you don’t know, is terrifying. I was looking to work with the spirit of the piece. I spent time looking at it. Then I began tentatively working on it. Developing some areas, making the color more complex. Then I stopped. Eventually I decided that I just had to go for it. Fussing with her work wouldn’t cut it. With my own work I often paint over areas I love. I know something better will emerge in the process. It’s much harder to do that when it’s someone else’s work you are covering.
My initial reflections were on the subject. What has to be in the image, I would be sending to Cathy McKelvey - my partner in the “Rørpost-projekt”/ Art Collaboration ArtFocus, Halifax ?
I came to the conclusion, that it had to be something that was characteristic from the area here and something that marked my way of painting and my world of motifs .
So the natural choice became a landscape abstraction from the Wadden Sea, which included water and the Seagulls. Every morning and evening the Seagulls fly over my house while they scream. I like the sound.
Cathy's contribution to the “Rørpost- project” is an abstract image in green and yellow colors.
The thoughts were started - what could I do about the image?
Of course -Seagulls would complete the picture.
The responcework is a little slice of Cathy's picture blown up and transferred to canvas. Seagulls flying across the painting.
Coming soon
Coming soon