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Cathy moved to Sedona in 1987 with her husband, artist Paul Gazda.
She's been drawing and painting for as long as she can remember. Growing up on the Great Lakes – exploring forests and meadows nearby, and living on a houseboat during her childhood summers – she has felt a close connection to Nature her entire life. It is from the natural world that she derives her inspiration.
In addition to obtaining a degree in psychology, Cathy studied at The New School of Art with Dennis Burton, Bob Markle, David Bolduc, Ross Mendes, Gordon Rayner, Graham Coughtry and Dan Soloman. Abstract painting at the Ontario College of Art with Paul Sloggett and a workshop with Joyce Weiland inspired her to move beyond traditional painting methods and explore expression outside the box. Eugenia Everett became her friend and sculpting mentor in the late 1980s and Cathy assisted Eugenia in creating her monumental sculpture "Aria", installed May 2000 at The Lodge in Sedona, Arizona.
Early on, creative expression through art was something Cathy did purely because she loved it. Over the years, she discovered the process of creating art could ‘take her to many places’ and ‘bring her home’ at the same time. Art became a portal through which to enter an inner landscape – sometimes contemplative and sometimes in turmoil - an invitation to express ‘the seen’, as well as ‘the unseen’. The act of creating affirms and enriches Cathy's life...and is the root from which she moves through the world.
Cathy believes that Art, in its many varied expressions, transcends all borders and boundaries. She prefers to investigate many mediums and potentialities in art, not wanting to get locked into one niche. Whether creating in acrylics, oils, watercolor, clay, wood, stone or fabric, Cathy hopes that through her art, she is able to convey the importance of preserving wildlife and wild places in Nature. An avid photographer for over 40 years, Cathy enjoys photographing animals, birds, plants, insects, reptiles and landscapes; which, she'll use as reference material for her paintings and sculptures.
Her work has been displayed in numerous national shows and museum venues including the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s "Birds In Art".
In 2008, the Woodson Art Museum chose Cathy’s painting "Upstream" for the "Birds In Art" exhibition poster, as well as for their advertisements in Southwest Art Magazine and the Chicago-area newspapers. "Upstream" was also selected as one of 50 works for the museum's traveling national "Birds In Art" tour throughout 2009. From May 9-August 16, 2009, the Frank H. McClung Museum in Knoxville, Tennessee featured "Upstream" on their exhibition postcard and banner.
Creating out of her home studio, Cathy's artwork is in private collections in the United States and Canada.
Thank you for taking the time to view her artwork.
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