Artist's Statement
“Proserpina” or, “I am Nature: semi- pure painting with spewing, sprouting buds and blooms, swirling strokes of luck, and at least several hidden birds, rabbits, squirrels, etc.”
This new series of works resemble still lives, portraiture, or landscapes.
They are all bound to the story of Proserpina, the innocent maiden abducted
by Hades and whisked away to a winter in hell. It must have been hot down
there. She becomes a perfect vehicle for my fantasy of unburdened female
beauty and power. Her abduction may not have been so tragic if we view
it as a respite from the ravages of time and custom. She dwells in the
underworld with an abundance of pleasure and immortal love. The world above
is barren.
The paintings start with historical references including Dutch flower
painting, botanical illustrations, and antique French prints, all created
by men who observed beauty very closely. My initial re- imaging of these
sources begin to give way to a “purer” way of making paintings
where the forms emerge more spontaneously from my gestures. At this point,
I stop the miming. Cezanne, “the abduction”, 1861
I start finding images after I make them. The paintings might resemble what a woman becomes if she breaks free from the confines of her body, leaving that burdensome object of the male gaze, etc., behind.
I don’t plan on actually “revivifying” Jackson Pollock,
or his legacy. As hard as I may try to be unfettered, my romantic yearning
for the heroic gesture will be mitigated by an inevitable doubt, while
I fully engage in a swooning, painterly- performance.
As for the paintings themselves, I like to pretend they are made by magic,
but in truth they come only from me.
-Catherine Howe
Winter 08/09
New York