Artist Feature: Catherine Sweet

I’ve always had an interest in creating and trying new things, whether it’s making my own jewellery or knitting, papercraft… Making art is essential to me, it helps keep me in harmony with the world around me.

I’m self-taught, and I find the majority of my inspiration in the natural world and in music. Working with oils, acrylics and found materials, I really favour bold colour combinations. My work is generally small scale, usually on canvas and more often than not full of texture.

I’ve had to adapt my processes a lot in the last few years – I have hypermobility syndrome and I have trouble holding brushes for long periods of time. That means I experiment more with palette knives, stencils and spray paints now. Most of my work is abstract, and recent pieces have incorporated wire, stitching and ceramic tile.

I began entering my work into open exhibitions in 2011, and I now have collectors in London, Cornwall and Spain. I’ve previously been shortlisted for the National Open Art Competition and the Visual Open Art Competition, and I’ve participated in #TwitterArtExhibit three times.

I joined ArtCan in 2017 and I’ve since participated in five fantastic exhibitions, with two more coming soon! ArtCan has pushed me to get my work seen – there’s no pressure to be anything but me, but the team create an exciting programme to be a part of, with a creative and collaborative atmosphere and amazing exposure. I’m very grateful to be part of such a brilliant group.

https://bobcatgallery.co.uk/catherine-sweet

@catsweet13

@insta_cat13