When Cathy starts her paintings, she applies a mark or color to the canvas with physicality and energy. Gesture or movement provides the emotion to the canvas. Gesture is life, vitality, personality, and character. Colors are formed by decisions, but they are not a given. These choices are not completely conscious, or they wouldn’t have the element of surprise and discovery. They are found intuitively through the process of comparing them as they are applied. Painting is a language that operates on relationships. The asymmetry that is inherent in Cathy’s paintings helps reflect the beauty of non-perfection. It mirrors the way one must navigate life. Struggle provides growth and with growth comes a certain degree of harmony, as well as discord, which constantly needs to be challenged so one continues to learn and grow. Cathy is striving for a harmonious wholeness upon completion, but one which continues to engage and challenge the viewer each time they peruse the canvas. Ultimately, Cathy is trying to grasp the sheer potential of paint, color, and line to be transcendent. Cathy Palmer is a native Iowan who states she “needs” to paint. Initially a pediatric intensive care nurse, Cathy returned to the University of South Dakota receiving a BFA in Painting. She is in various publications, the permanent collection of the Sioux City Art Center and in corporate and private collections.