Catherine Clements
For almost as long as I can remember, I’ve been aware of how strange and singular it is to be a brain in a body in a world. My visual art practice is essentially a toolkit I’ve developed for attempting to mend the resulting schism. Following the impulse to skillfully employ my hands allows me to work through my thoughts and observations in a way that creates meaning.
While I deeply value the act of making on a personal level, sharing my work is equally generative and important. Reintroducing my thoughts and observations back into the world as new objects is a necessary part of the cycle. I value approachability in art and strive to create a sense of intimacy by carefully considering the physical interactions a viewer has with my work. The colors, imagery and compositions I choose encourage a kind of comfortable introspection by alluding to familiar places, objects and sensations.
I maintain an index of source materials: mainly photos, short poems/prose, and archived digital content. When starting a new project, I set loose parameters to determine what references to draw from my collections. I translate that source material through traditional printmaking, bookbinding and papermaking processes, and digital fabrication methods. The techniques I enjoy most are generally repetitive and physically immersive. This meditative making allows me to refine the original idea by responding to the evolution of the physical object.
Catherine Clements is an artist and consultant based in Bowling Green, OH. She co-owns and operates Now Serving, a local food pop-up, and is the Vice-President of the Board of Directors for the Cocoon.
Catherine holds an MFA from the University of Georgia in Printmaking and Book Arts, and a BFA from Bowling Green State University in Two-Dimensional Studies with a minor in Arts Management. She has been a resident artist at Spark Box Studio in Picton, Ontario, the Hambidge Center for Arts and Sciences in Rabun Gap, GA, and the Morgan Conservatory in Cleveland, OH, among others.
Some of Catherine’s passions include word play, feeding people, and putting her hands in dirt. She lives in a swamp adjacent bungalow with a dog, a cat and a man.
