Art is meant to be “fun and explorative,” says Greenville artist Pat Cato, whose mixed media works on canvas will be shown in the exhibition “No Rhyme or Reason” May 6 through 31 in Gallery II of the Artists Collective | Spartanburg.
An artist’s reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 15, as part of Spartanburg ArtWalk. The reception and exhibition viewing are free and open to the public. The pieces in the show will be offered for purchase with prices ranging from $200 to $1,200.
“Paints, brushes and canvas were toys to help me experiment and grow and to help express myself,” Cato says of her early days as a self-taught artist. “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.”
Visitors to the exhibit will see her having fun with texture, enjoying an “explosion of color and texture.”
Cato wants the viewer to “stop and look and make their own conclusions about the art. This, I believe, is the fun and fascination of art. Art is meant to be fun and explorative.”
The most important thing about this exhibition is that the pieces are “fun and very colorful,” Cato says. “They are like little puzzles to figure out. I want visitors to see that I have a mean sense of humor and direction.” She adds that her works usually are described as “vibrant, colorful and emotional. There’s meaning behind the piece.”
Cato, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, moved to Greenville in 1995 after living in West Virginia. By 2007, 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 in the Carri Bass Gallery in Tryon. She has sold paintings nationwide to collectors and patrons of the arts. She has an associate’s degree in graphic design and advertising from Guilford College.
Cato credits her husband, David Cato, as a supporter and motivator in her art. “He has a keen eye for perspective and love for my work and gives me time to create.”