Color always has inspired Upstate artist Pat Cato, so it’s only right for her upcoming exhibition, “Colors: And Poems,” be centered around various colors on canvases painted in mixed media. The show will be May 1 through June 7 in Gallery II at the Artists Collective | Spartanburg.
An artist’s reception will be held Thursday, May 16, as part of ArtWalk Spartanburg; the reception and admission to the gallery are free and open to the public.
“Each canvas depicts a certain color on how it makes me feel, starting with the primary colors and into secondary ones to offshoots, then finally black and white to complete the series,” says the Greenville artist.
Cato, a member of the Artists Collective for more than a year, also invited two other members to join her in the exhibition – Rosemary McLeod, a jewelry designer, and Karin Patrick, a potter. “Their colorful work will add to the excitement of this very colorful show.”
Visitors to the show will see “vibrant colors and free-form poetry, plus colorful pottery and jewelry. The messages for viewers will be written in a free form style of poetry beside each piece.”
Cato adds, “This series is very personal to me. I started it three years ago and had eight pieces completed. My husband, David, had been my muse and my best sharp critic, but, unfortunately, he passed away two years ago, so most of these were the last pieces I got his opinions on and encouragement for, which make them very special to me. I held onto the ones I had finished and stayed in my studio. In the past year, I added many to complete the series for me. I feel it’s ready to show to the public now.”
“Paints, brushes and canvas were toys to help me experiment and grow and to help express myself,” Cato says. “My inspiration derives from nature, life events and the environment around me. My goal is to produce a thought-provoking piece that makes a connection with the viewer. I strive to bring feeling into my choices of subject matter using my brush, knives, fingers and many other tools. Another strong motivator is my palette. Color and texture have become essential to convey my message. I hope my work makes the viewer stop and look and make their own conclusions. This, I believe, is the fun and fascination of art.”
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cato moved to Greenville in 1995 after living in West Virginia. By 2007, she says, she became committed to be a full-time artist. In addition to the Artists Collective | Spartanburg she has exhibited at 80Six Gallery and Tryon Painters and Sculptures, both in Tryon, North Carolina, and has had one-woman shows in the Hyatt Hotel Gallery in Greenville, and the Carri Bass Gallery in Tryon. She has sold paintings nationwide to collectors and patrons of the arts.
“The Artists Collective has been a great experience, and I am enjoying working with these eclectic artists,” Cato says. “I am proud to be a member at a gallery that is growing and being noticed by the Spartanburg community and the surrounding cities.”
The 13 works in the exhibition will be offered for purchase, with prices ranging from $200 to $1,200.