Catherine grew up near the Moors and Dales of northern England and attended Art College near London for her BFA.Moving between California, Somerset, London and Austin Texas challenges her sense of belonging yet serves as a portal into the wider human experience of displacement and immigration.Referencing history, particulars of place, time, and the relative stability of geology are her poetic layering of imagery. Her paintings juxtapose influences gleaned from being in the untamed landscapes of California, Peru, England, Ireland, France, and Iceland.After graduating with an MFA from John F Kennedy University, Berkeley Annex, Ca., Catherine was the grantee of the Sonoma County Emerging Artist Award for her work on locale and observation of the marshland through a 1-year study.In 2018 her work won her a First Prize award from “Visions Of Science” exhibition at Bath Edge Arts, University Of Bath, England with imagery of explorations into changing conditions in the Arctic circles. "Earth breathes fire and spews boiling water from its depths, while segments of its crust drift on tectonic plates, pushing continents apart and colliding. These unpredictable movements and untamable forces challenge our perceived dominance over the land, one of the themes I explore in my work.Rocks, to me, are time-made manifest. My practice delves into deep time, unfolding a cartography of inquiry and internal dialogue on geomorphology and my connection to land. Geology serves as my portal to a sense of belonging, reflecting my experiences of being both, uprooted and choosing to move across towns and continents. It becomes a metaphor for the anchored, buried, and unknown—the essential antidotes and attributes for displacement.I primarily work on large-scale paintings and drawings, where I can engage in gestural sweeps, but I keep my artwork sizes varied. Constantly exploring and experimenting with materials, I allow concoctions of mediums to settle into textured surfaces, suggesting topographical and subterranean terrains. I like to allow watery mixes of acrylic or inks to find their gravity on the surface which I often encourage into shapes seen in the land forms.From detailed drawings to expansive semi-abstract paintings, I am aiming to convey the intrigue and imagined narratives that I recall from my experience of being immersed in wild and remote places.Geology, with its skeletal structure supporting the gaze over the landscape, forms the foundation of my subject. My work is a reflection of the mystery and beauty of the Earth's forces, inviting viewers to contemplate their own connection to the land and the deep time it represents. Through my art, I seek to evoke a sense of wonder and respect for the ever-changing, powerful forces that shape our world." — Catherine Richardson