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Cathie Bleck
San Diego Contemporary Art Fair : new works
posted:
Opening today in San Diego, I will be featured with Mark Todd at Murphy Fine Arts Booth B10.  This piece is entitled : "Heaven, Limboland, Hell".  I will also have several studies available at this exhibition. Each panel is 10"x10", Inks, kaolin pigments on clay board.  This show runs Sept 2-5 : Hilton Bayfront.  Click here for more information on the exhibition and to read an interview.  If you are in San Diego this weekend, be sure to catch the final days of Survey Select exhibition!
I was inspired a lot by William Blake's work in these pieces and used a similar pallete-the mixture of blues and red in contrast with white and black. I saw a great show of his work in NY this year at the Piermont Morgan Library this year. Other inspirations were from Egypt referencing images of the protector goddesses around King Tut's tomb, an engraving of the lighthouse of Alexandria in Limbo where the smoke is blowing in both directions while people walk aimlessly lacking direction and commitment. In "Heaven's Staircase" The staircase was inspired by a late 19th century engraving from the Paris exposition. I observed a lot of turtles up close this summer while scuba diving. Disguised in the grasses with painted shells - really remarkable how peaceful these creatures are. They are so at peace which is a state of mind that I was going for in Heaven.
"Limboland" The maiden character (bottom right corner) was inspired from one of the map engravings at the Field Museum show a few years back : "100 of the World's most important Maps" exhibition.





I have been really inspired lately by the dry roots of mangroves and working on some large scale pieces utilizing these as well. In "Hell" piece they convey entrapment well I think.


I created this sketch of kaolin clay and inks from an engraving I saw of the Lighthouse of Alexandria while visiting the Library of Alexandria. It fell to an earthquake and dates back to around 280 BC.


Inspiration from all things Blake!
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