Artist Statement

by Catherine Case July 26, 2016

Artist Statement

Art is precious. Art is intimate. Art is as valuable as any thing can be.

To draw, one must see. To see, one must forget all pre-existing icons, all pre-conceived notions, all rituals, with regards to the subject at hand. The ability to make a mark correctly indicates an understanding not only of the form, not only of the surface, but also of the truth behind the form, behind the surface. This makes art not about sketching or drawing or painting pretty pictures or about holding up a mirror to nature but about a higher level of communication, one that requires contemplation and communion and understanding.

The impact of my work comes not from aesthetic beauty but from psychological authenticity, with all its tenacity and passion and devotion. What is in me flows though my hands: a tangible narrative.

My drawings are entitled generically, without explanation. It is not my intention for others to see what I see, but rather I wish to be a catalyst for those in search of peace, to give a moment of validation, to show the trodden path through this valley, to say, “There must be a reason for this journey.”



Catherine Case
Catherine Case

Author

Catherine, a Professor of Art who holds an MFA in graphic design/illustration, an MA in drawing, and a BFA in commercial art, has taught more than sixty different courses at the post-secondary level. She became familiar with the Lowcountry when she was the Department Chair for the Graduate and Undergraduate departments at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Entrepreneurship in her blood, she started her own business in advertising and graphic design in 1988, her clients consisting of Fortune 500 corporations. Catherine has been a resident of Wisconsin most of her life, but her work is not geographically oriented; it is universal. She exhibits frequently and has won many awards, competing both nationally and internationally. She is frequently asked to be a guest speaker and has been published many times.