A well deserved winner of this years BP Fine Art Award, see the work of Catherine Ross at the Grays School of Art Degree Show
At the time of writing there’s still time to squeeze in a trip to the Grays School of Art Degree Show which runs until Saturday 28th June 2014.
Not sure if I’m going to have time to make it up myself but if I do it will be in a large part to see the work of graduating student Catherine Ross.
Born in Yellowknife, Northern Canada, the 22 year old from Westhill, Aberdeenshire creates beautiful paintings and sculptures based on memories, real and imagined of her early childhood in the remote North.
Catherine is one of only 10 UK students shortlisted for The Woon Foundation Painting & Sculpture Art Prize. Known as the Turner Prize of the student world the winner can expect a bursary award of £20,000 as well as a residency at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. Fingers crossed.
Catherine Ross – Degree Show Reviews
Reviews of Catherine’s work have been very positive with the Scotsman’s Duncan Macmillan calling Ross a ‘remarkable painter‘ before describing her work as follows:
She paints big, icy landscapes with sinister hints in their wintry spaces of war and the territorial divisions over which wars are fought, often in the most inhospitable places. A little collection she has made of Surrealist constructions from found objects is even more promising, however, and are among the most intriguing works in the whole show.
While Julie-Ann Simpson from Central Station says of Catherine’s degree show work:
A defining feature of Ross’ collection, which she shares with her fellows at Gray’s, is the integrity of her work and the individuality of her vision and practice…
It’s difficult not be won over with such striking images.
I really like this quote form Catherine’s Artist Statement on the Grays Painters site where she talks of the motivation behind her small models:
I have built small models to aid my own process. I believe that the toy-like quality to the models which I make to inform the paintings is significant. I view any make-shift human constructions that exist within extreme landscapes as slightly infantile somehow as they are dwarfed in comparison to their immense locations. And so, I might use the subject of ‘toys’, as a resource for the objects within the paintings, as I liken it to the process and manner of which mankind’s constructions are installed within extreme landscapes to playing with toys.
I really love the paintings and sculptures on display here and hope to see them in person before long. It’s inspiring to see such a talented and focused artist producing such accomplished work and I look forward to seeing what comes next.
BP Fine Art Award Winner 2014
It’s no surprise that Catherine won the BP Fine Art Award this year for her accomplished paintings. Here she is being presented with the award which also has a cash prize.
Best of luck to Catherine with the Woon Prize and congratulations on the degree show success and BP award.
All images © The Gatehouse – Design & Print Consultancy
Update: Read our Catherine Ross Interview, follow Catherine’s work at catherinerosspainter.com and via Twitter.
