Biography

Catherine Gibbon

"Cathy in her Studio"
by Lorne Toews

Catherine's Studio

Catherine's studio at the top of the escarpment in Greensville.

Catherine Gibbon lives in Dundas and maintains a studio in Greensville near the Spencer Creek. As a regular exhibitor, her work is shown in public Galleries across Canada and is represented in a number of public and private collections. She is also a recipient of many grants and awards for her work in conservation and visual art. She has been described as an "definitive interpreter of the Ontario landscape".

As an advocate of cultural and environmental concerns, Catherine has been involved in local community projects and is a founding member of the Carnegie Gallery in Dundas. She is the editor and contributing writer of "On the Edge", a book which features regional artists interpretation of their environment. Catherine is also a teacher at the Dundas Valley School of Art.

Chalk pastels are often Catherine's choice of medium—they suit her working methods and love of colour. Chalk pastels work up quickly and make it easy to change direction and follow a new lead. She works spontaneously, often without a clear ideas of what the painting will eventually look like. The pigment is applied directly with the hand with no intervention of brushes or tools. Catherine is attracted to the purity (no binders) and its particulate quality, which both reflects and absorbs light. Under a microscope pastel particles are like diamonds. Each surface refracts light in a different direction.

Strings and Bones

Strings and Bones

A lifelong passion for traditional music has led to an interest in studying and playing the wooden flute, composing music, and creating art based on musical concepts. She also plays and performs on the whistle and flute with musical friends in the acoustic band "Strings and Bones".