| Catherine Tableau |
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Artist's Statement Haunting memory of a mysterious and familiar ancient place, my paintings are an invitation to meditation, to stationary traveling, a humble attempt to directly attain silence. Reminiscence of former emotions, my works, through color and medium, continue to explore primitive territories, evokes earth's raw and mineral beauty from which we come from and will return. Smooth surface, serene or chipped, peeling damaged, testifies of the effect of time and ephemeral. Eternity even. Read more...
Click for larger version, then mouse over to see NEXT or PREV buttons to navigate through images. To paint, of course, is to speak of oneself, of what has made us who we are, of what fascinates and consumes us. In my work, my inner being is continually revisited by countries, landscapes, forms, people, objects, and musical influences that remain with me still: the rock walls of a cave cloaked in wildness, and its magic and mysterious overtones; the twisted, contorted folds of the mountainsides of the Southern Alps, witness to the juddering of the earth; the tiny forsaken villages, encountered in the course of a day's wanderings; the worn steps of my great-grandmother's worn and beloved house, she herself worn, wrinkled, and beloved… My painting is inspired by imprints, textures, cracks, and reliefs, a detail that catches my eye by its sensuality, calls for a touch or a caress. On a wooden board, the plaster is urged into shape, a wall is molded with prints into it. Opened, wounded, traced, punctured. A sacred territory is invented, with signs and symbols that I don't always yet understand. In the course of these routine gestures, as accidental moves occur, and while I struggle and doubt myself, I am exploring texture and color. At that point, a kind of ascese occurs, which includes an economy of means, my limited palette, the light and my playing with the physiognomic qualities of the relief. Opaqueness, transparency, color-washes. Exhibitions
History Born in Paris in 1964, I studied and worked in Provence for youth clubs and art centres for 20 years as program manager: diffusion and production of events with visual artists, musicians, film makers, comedians, puppeteers. I discovered British-Colombia and Cortes Island in 1999 and fell for its natural beauty, the immensity of its landscapes, the simplicity of island life style and its people. In 2002, I moved on Cortes. Education Diplôme d'Etat aux Fonctions d'Animation (DEFA) 1990-1992 Professional and teaching activities Program Manager, Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture Picaud, Cannes, France 1992/2002 Text of Elinore HARWOOD, January 2008 "If you have spent time in the scarred and complicated landscapes of southern France, seen the hillsides, untamed and mysterious, cradling tiny abandoned villages in the crook of their long twisted folds, or seen sun glinting off rock walls, off stone doorsteps worn smooth with the slow passing of centuries, or encountered someone born and raised in that landscape, - then Catherine Tableau's work will very likely resonate deeply within you. Her inspirations come not only from France, but also from the hot dry deserts and buildings of Morocco, and the ancient mesas of Arizona and New Mexico, and from a lifelong acquaintance with music and art form. In her work, she allows the memories and influences stored in her inner being to guide her. On a plywood board or plank, first, plaster is thrown and pushed into shape, carefully at first, then more roughly; then scarred, jabbed and startled into form, using only the simplest of tools and materials. What emerges is a creation of incredible force, stirring the memory of primitive landscapes felt and seen, and yet challenging the mind with surprises which leave us staring into what we do not consciously understand but which resonates and is familiar. |
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