“Everything is always very fortuitous, that’s why I believe in contingency and chance. Things happen because they happen, and they seem to be more important later. It is very interesting to look at all those art historians and how they attribute everything to a deliberate act. It’s not like that—artists aren’t like that.”

Tacita Dean

Statement

Earth breathes fire and spews boiling water in columns from many fathoms down while segments of earth’s crust slowly drift on plates of rock, pushing continents apart and colliding into one another.

Rocks are time made manifest and my practice unfolds a cartography of inquiry and internal dialogue on geomorphology and the human story. Using geology as a portal into the trail of how we arrived here and curious forays into the climate that is changing our existence.

I work on varying scale, exploring materials and allowing concoctions of mediums to build textural surfaces on paper and/or panels that suggest topographical and underground terrain; metaphors for the hidden, buried and unknown. Vacillating between detailed drawings to large semi-abstract paintings I attempt to convey intrigue and an imagined narrative I feel when being in wild and remote places. I imagine the scaffold of geology supporting the mystery of unpredictable movement and untamable evolution in our earth.

More recently September 2022 I spent 1 month at Skaftfell Residency in Seydisfjordur, a small town on the edge of a fjord on the NE coast of Iceland. Previous visits to Iceland include a residency in 2017 at Laugarvatn and further exploration of the North Island in 2018.

A residency in Ballinskelligs, S.Ireland for 1 month in 2019 introduced me to more of an archeological perspective as stones marked ancient ritual sites for enigmatic unknown purposes and historical events.

Education

2013 Natural Pigments Co. study in Best painting practices.
2011 Newlyn School, Cornwall, UK; studies for practicing artists
2005 M.F.A. department of arts and consciousness, John f. Kennedy University, Berkeley, CA.
Previous Mono printing intensive, Aurobora Press S.F. CA.
Bronze casting, Sonoma State University, Cotati, CA.
Mono-type, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA.
Graphic design studies, University California, Berkeley,.
Revere Academy of Goldsmithing, San francisco, CA.
B.F.A. Metal sculpture and silversmithing. Surrey Institute of Art and Design, South West London, England
Apprentice to Jacqueline Mina, British, award winning goldsmith, Twickenham, London.
Annual Award Fellowship from Surrey Institute of Art and Design, S.W. London, England.
 

Grants/Awards

Visions Of Science, First Prize from The Edge Arts, Bath University, Bath, England.

Honourable mention, Marin MOCA, Novato Ca. Catherine Clark (Catherine Clark gallery San Francisco, Ca.)
Sonoma Art Award for emerging Artist. Grant from the James Irvine
Foundation. Jurors; Tara McDowell, Curatorial Associate, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Joe del Pesco, Nelson Gallery, CA.
U.C. Davis; Karen Tsujimoto, Senior Curator, Art Department, Oakland Museum, CA.
Fellowship from Surrey Institute of Art and Design, Surrey, England.
Nominee for the 2008-10 Eureka Fellowship Program, for Visual Artists, Fleishhacker Foundation.
Art for Living, Sebastopol Centre for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA. Merit award.

Bio Statement + CV
Catherine J. Richardson MFA

Bio

Catherine grew up near the Moors and Dales of northern England and attended Art College near London for her BFA.

Moving between California, South England, London and now Austin Texas challenges her sense of belonging yet serves as a portal into the greater human experience of displacement and immigration.
Referencing history, particulars of place and time become 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 grantee of the Sonoma County Emerging Artist Award for her work about locale and place.

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.

Residencies

2022 Skaftfell AIR, N.Eastern Iceland

2019 Cill Rialaig Art Centre, SE Ireland 
2017 Gullkistan Creative Centre, Laugarvatn, Iceland
2014 Lucid Art Foundation, Inverness, CA
2011-12 Doug Adams gallery, Bade Museum, Berkeley, CA.
2003 Kala institute, Heinze St. Berkeley CA.

Solo Shows

2016  Santa Rosa City Hall, Council Chambers, Santa Rosa, CA.
2015  Gro Gallery, Pt Reyes Station, CA.
2015  SFMOMA Artists Gallery, Ft Mason, San Francisco, CA.
2012  Doug Adams gallery, Bade Museum Berkeley, CA.
2011   Lucid Art Foundation, Ions Institute for Noetic Sciences, Petaluma, CA.
Hammerfriar Gallery, Healdsburg, CA.
2009 Jerry Adams Gallery, Berkeley City College, Berkeley, CA. curator Jenny Braman
2008  Herold Mehoney Library, Santa Rosa Junior College, Petaluma Campus, CA.
2007  Homeland Obscurity Float Gallery, Oakland, CA.
Agents of Dissolve, Quick silver Gallery, Forestville, CA.
2005 M.F.A. graduate show. Marsh Road Project; Arts & Consciousness Gallery, JFKU. Berkeley Annex, Berkeley CA.

Selected Group Shows

2023 Spring Cheltenham Gallery, Cheltenham UK

Jen Tough Gallery, Santa Fe, NM USA.

(July) The Vanner Gallery, 5-person show, Salisbury, England.

2022 Art Fair. Miami Red Dot

Represented by Jen Tough Gallery of Santa Fe, NM

Victoria Gallery, Bath Arts Society, Bath, Somerset UK.

O’Hanlon Center for Visual Art, Mill Valley CA.

2021 (July) Collaborative installation with Brooke Holve for Extraction Art Project, Seager Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA.

Artist Alliance, on-line, Small Works, juried

Artist Alliance, on-line Works on paper, juried

Artist Alliance, On-line, Water Stories, juried.

Public Art, commissioned by Petaluma Art Centre, CA., Large poster for Earth Day.

2020 ArtistAlliance, on-line Exhibition curated by Jen Tough of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

SFMOMA Artists Gallery, Ft Mason Centre, San Francisco, CA
Think Visual Gallery, 240 Main St., Pt Arena, CA two person show

2019 Cill Rialaig Art Centre, Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry, S. Ireland

SFMOMA Artist Gallery, Ft Mason Centre, San Francisco, CA.

2018 Visions Of Science, The Edge Arts, University of Bath, England

13 Years, Hammerfriar Gallery, Healdsburg, CA.

2017 MarinMOCA, Novato, CA. Juror, Catharine Clark of Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA. (honourable Mention)

Ice House Gallery, group show, Petaluma, CA.
2016 Petaluma Art Centre, "Zeitgist", a juried show.
Paul Mahder Gallery, Healdsburg, CA.
2015 Gro Gallery, Pt Reyes Station, CA. (Residency Show from Lucid Art Foundation.)
2014 Ice House Gallery, Petaluma, CA.
Hammerfriar Gallery, Healdsburg, CA
Petaluma Arts Centre, Petaluma, CA
Gro Gallery, Pt Reyes Station, CA.
2013 Hammerfriar Gallery, Healdsburg, CA.
SFMOMA Artists Gallery, Ft Mason, San Francisco, CA
2012 Bucca Gallery, Newlyn, Cornwall, UK
Hammerfriar, Healdsburg, Ca. Autumn group show of represented artists.
Petaluma Art Centre, Petaluma Ca. invitational.
2011 Berkeley City College, Berkeley Ca. Digital Art, 4-person show.
Thoreau Centre, (2 person show) San Francisco, CA.
Gala Show, Hammerfriar Gallery, Healdsburg, CA.
Land of Magic, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA.
2010 Rawness of Real, Dell Pryor Gallery, Detroit, MI.
Transformative Experience, Art at The Oakbook, Jack London Sq. Oakland CA.
Beyond Digital, Petaluma Center for the Arts, Petaluma CA.
Art From The Heart, Sonoma State University Art Gallery, Cotati CA.
Muse/Reuse, Doug Adams gallery, Bade` Museum, Berkeley CA.
2009 Essensual Exchanges, ArtSpace 404, Santa Rosa, CA.
Usnea, YWCA, Berkeley, CA.
Bioneers Conferrence, Marin, CA
2008 World of Concrete Convention; invited artist. Las Vegas Convention Cnt. Las Vegas NV.
2007 Hammerfriar Gallery, Healdsburg, CA.
2006 Emerging Artists Exhibit. Arts Council Gallery, Santa Rosa, CA.
Annual juried show. G.R.O. Gallery Route one, Pt. Reyes CA.
California Current, Ultra Marine. G.R.O. Gallery Route One, Pt. Reyes, CA
Arts and Consciousness Gallery, John F. Kennedy University, Berkeley, CA.
2004 Overland To Unfamiliar Territory, Hallway project, John F.Kennedy University,Berkeley, CA.
2003 Reconcilable Differences, Jersey Galleries;, Osterly Park House, London, England.

Selected Bibliography

Two-page spread artist feature in Lucid Arts Foundation book.

Curated by Fariba Bogzaran. Art residency alummni, pages 148-149

Intageserview with “Shout Out Miami” Magazine January 2023

Extraction - Art on The Edge of the Abyss.Catalogue and exhibition, pages 110-113 & 398-399

“Visions Of Science” article in November Issue of Interalia on-line Magazine

West Marin Review, volume 17, 2016
Sarah Lawrence College; Lumina, publication of Art & literature, volume xv, Spring 2016 edition.
featured paintings. East Bay Express, June issue, 2012 Dewitt Cheng.
North Bay Bohemian, CA. May 7-14 issue, 2011
East Bay Express, CA. June 30th 2010.
North Bay Bohemian, CA. November 4-10 issue 2009.
96 Hours, San Francisco Chronicle, CA. Aug 16th 2007 Stephanie Laemoa.
Artweek, November issue #9 2006. New USA Grants. Palo Alto CA.
Emerging Artists award catalogue. Sonoma Cultural Arts, CA. James Irvin Foundation.
North Bay Bohemian, CA.February, Critic?s Choice?, author, Gretchen Giles.
Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, CA July, Emerging Artist Awardees.

Related Experience

Volunteer at Spike Island Gallery and RWA, Bristol, England

Offers workshops on Materials and Techniques.
Hired to work on mural restoration of Coit Tower, San Francisco, CA.
Leading a workshop on "Essensual Exchange" plant dyes in collaboration with artist Sasha Duer
Three times Lecturer to student body at Berkeley City College, Berkeley CA.
Adjunct faculty, Art Dept. Santa Rosa Junior college, Santa Rosa Campus, CA.
Valley Ford Studios, Valley Ford, CA. Instruction and mentoring in metal arts.
Sebastopol Centre for the Arts, CA. Metal Arts/Jewelry instruction. Mixed level.
Arts Benicia Education Program, Benicia, CA. Beginners workshops on metal arts.
Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA. Workshop on metal arts and mono types.

Collections

The Engine Is Red, Santa Rosa, CA. & Minneapolis, MN.

Michael and Gail Faulkes, Petaluma, California

Kerwin & Associates, Menlo Park, California.
Imagery Collection belonging to Sonoma State University, Cotati, California
Hall collection, Mauii, Hawaii
Laura Chanel Goat Cheese Co. Sonoma, California.
Jill Plamann of Hammerfriar Gallery, Healdsburg, California.
Tom Lewis Restoration Co. San Francisco, California

Copland/Dreyer, Sonoma, California

Ecker & Mackie Santa Rosa, California.

Bath University, Bath England.