The space Catherine
allows her subjects to exist in provides a powerful and
sometimes poignant backdrop. Primarily it offers an uninterrupted
view of the subject’s carefully studied form. Perhaps
more importantly however, it asks of the viewer that they
use their own intuition, prompting them to contemplate
what lies both within and beyond the frame. In effect,
this space acts as an imaginative springboard that invites
the viewer into the image to explore it for themselves.
A gallery filled with Catherine’s
silk-screen prints acts like an open-ended storybook.
Each image is a new page and in each we encounter a new
and different character, the events of whose life we are
invited to consider. Not surprisingly it is Catherine’s
experience as a children’s book illustrator that
has heightened not only her awareness but also her fascination
with the design aspect of each artwork.
When creating a children’s book the layout of each
page must be carefully considered: how one image follows
on from another, where the text fits, and precisely how
much visual information a child needs in order to fill
in the ‘blanks’ for themselves. In this respect
it is just as important to consider which parts of the
page to leave empty as it is to decide which parts are
to be filled. Indeed, Catherine’s use of surrounding
space becomes seminal to her depiction of the animal itself,
encouraging in the reader a more thorough understanding
of movement, texture, and mood without unnecessary distraction.
This doesn’t
mean to say that background is never apparent in Catherine’s
picture book work. On the contrary, she will often employ
a carefully positioned strand of meadow grass, or a suspended
leaf, or subtly suggest a pair of receding footprints
in order to give just the right amount of understanding
of the creature and its habitat. Added to this, Catherine’s
considered use of colour, weight of line and texture helps
the animal to ‘live’ within each image.
