Artist Statement

Catherine Website About

My art has taken me down many different paths. From a very early age my parents encouraged me to paint. Family vacations were often spent sketching and painting in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia. I furthered my interest in colour and composition taking Fashion and Design in college and later, enrolled in Fine Arts at the University of Edmonton, Alberta. I lived on a farm in Alberta for 10 years and developed a love for the prairie landscape. Presently residing in the Ottawa valley, recent inspirations have been Algonquin Park, the Gatineau Hills, the Laurentians and the Maritimes.

I am presently working with acrylic and oils. An avid hiker and photographer, many preliminary sketches are executed on site with pen and ink. Often my photographs are used to complete studio work. Layers of paint and glazes are evident to capture the depth of my subject matter and loose mark making, strong shapes and shadows are apparent. I often work on several paintings at once when developing a new series.

I have been fortunate to live and travel in many parts of Canada and the United States enabling me to pursue my artistic passion.

I continually strive to develop a painted language to capture the fleeting essence of nature's behavior and my objective is to pass this on to the viewer.

Bio

Catherine Schissel is an award winning artist best known for her passionate portrayal of landscapes, from the Canadian Pacific to the Atlantic coast. Working in acrylics and oil she has lived and travelled throughout North America painting what she loves for over 35 years.

Catherine started painting landscapes in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia. She exhibited in galleries, solo shows, and juried group exhibits, in Alberta and British Columbia before moving to Ontario. Recent influences include the nearby Algonquin Park region, the maritimes, the Gatineau Hills, and the Laurentians. Catherine currently lives and maintains a studio in Stittsville, a suburb of Ottawa, Ontario.

Primarily self taught, Catherine's studies include classes in the University of Alberta Fine Arts program, Edmonton, Alberta. Open studios and international travel to attend workshops covering a wide range of visual art disciplines continue to have an impact on her work.

Catherine's work is in private and corporate collections across Canada and the United States.

Recent Awards

Previous Shows and Exhibits

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