Cosmic Monologues with Artist Gwen Cates
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International artist, Gwen Cates, spends her time between Virginia and California. She began painting in the 1960s and has had art exhibits in Britain and the United States. She describes herself as a contemporary colorist, creating experimental and playful abstract paintings in acrylic, often with collage elements. The images have been inspired and grew out of earlier plein air landscapes and figurative work.
Gwen calls the current series of paintings “Cosmic Monologues.” Going deeper into her subconscious and the world of dreams, Gwen reveals fantasies from her imagination. She creates archetypal images and incorporates winged figures, horses and other animals in her compositions. Swatches of fabric, lace, gold leaf and lichen from oak trees are some of the elements that are included in the paintings.
Gwen Cates invites you to her new solo exhibit on November 9th . Her artwork can be viewed on her website: www.gwencates.com / http://www.gwencates.com/biob.htm
What was it like moving from Santa Ynez Valley in California to your new home, the Whiskey Ridge Farm near Charlottesville?
It is important in life to remake yourself every decade or so. When I look at the entirely of my body of artistic work you can see my phases of evolution and personal development. I am a native Virginian and lived and worked here most of my life. I grew up on a farm in Cumberland County and loved painting landscapes and animals. When I went to Art College at Richmond Professional Institute (now called Virginia Commonwealth University) in Richmond, I began painting nudes. This was an exciting phase, and when I met my husband Bill Cates, I remember thinking that he was rather like Adonis. Over the years I became well established as a painter in Virginia, and also in Britain, where I had successful shows of a more metaphysical and mythical nature. When we made the move to California, I needed to use a new color palette. The landscape of Santa Ynez is chaparral, so I had to use warm browns and new earth tones. I was also close to the Pacific Ocean, and so I found new blue tints and hues. I was warmly welcomed into the Southern California art world, becoming active in the Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara art scenes, and I continue to exhibit there. I enjoy the freedom and expanse that the West Coast offers, which is different from the more settled and traditional landscapes of Virginia. I like being free to paint what inspires me regardless of the location. Since I have children on both coasts, I still travel between Virginia and California. This also means that I have a variety of places to exhibit my work, and I get to dance between form and freedom.
After 17 years in California, my husband Bill Cates decided to retire from winemaking, and return to Virginia full time. In the summer of 2015, we bought a lovely farm on a river near Charlottesville, VA. We built a studio in a pole barn near our house and stable. Unfortunately, my husband was in poor health and passed away in 2018. I then went through a difficult period of adjustment and could not focus on my paintings, which lasted for about a year. It was when I started looking at the images of Black Holes that my creative impulse began to return to me. Painting these images has healed me from loss, and in my art studio I have discovered a new way of seeing the world. It is very colorful!
For over 17 years you have been exhibiting your works of art. Has there ever been a painting that you’ve sold in which you wish would have perhaps kept for yourself?
My artwork is in houses and institutions all across the United States, and also Britain. I am thrilled that friends and family across the globe love my work, and collect my paintings. It gives me a sense that I am part of an ever-evolving community of people who trust in the creative universe. There are some paintings that really speak to me that are hard to let go of, because so much of me is in them. One painting in particular, Golden Kite, acrylic with gold leaf and collage elements, is very dear to me, but I did sell it. To me the painting represents our ability to soar above the issues of the world and reach for higher ideals. Fortunately, my cousin, Emmett Richardson, bought the painting and I am happy that he has it. It gives me great joy to visit the homes of people who own and display my work and see the paintings on display.
Your new series of paintings “Cosmic Monologues” is truly amazing, what was the inspiration behind the black holes that you are depicting in your art?
Astronomers have created the Event Horizon Telescope, which is able to reach far into the Cosmos and show images of the colorful auras that surround and encircle Black Holes. Looking at the photographs, I realized that could be an adventure that would help to bring me out of the darkness that I had experienced since my husband of 57 years passed away. I resonated with the Black Holes, because I was experiencing grief, emptiness and was in a metaphorical black hole. I do have basic trust in the nature of life. I knew that eventually the creative force that has always been my friend would return to me. Once I felt ready for a new experience and adventure, I explored astonishing new shapes that came to me out of the potent blackness of my dreams and visions.
Even though I had to endure many days of grief after my husband passed away, I also had the unique opportunity of resting in the unknowable silence, the dark mystery, until the creative urge returned to me. And then it came! After seeing the Black Hole images, I started to enjoy exploring archetypal images with acrylic collage, gold leaf and natural materials. Then as I continued to follow the scientific images of Black Holes in the news, I also became drawn to other exciting phenomena, such as exoplanets. Many of these potent and colorful images will be included in the exhibit.
At 79, I am free to be myself. I understand that self-inquiry is ongoing, and that the creative journey never ends. The Cosmic Monologue and Black Hole series of paintings is my journey from absence to consciousness, from death to life. It is a dialogue with the mysteries of the universe, which always astonishes. I am excited about this new body of work and the upcoming exhibit with Salon @ the Granada. I invite you to come and re-make yourself also in this changing world. Ask yourself this question: what is my current cosmic monologue?
How do you come up with the color pallets when you decide to start a new series? In your new series we find deep oranges, reds and yellows, how did these colors inspire you?
Before I paint, I generally turn music on in my studio and enter a meditative state. Artists learn to dream consciously, and so I enter into a dialogue with my muses. After that, I take out a canvas and my brushes. Sometimes I am inspired by a landscape, while at other times I am painting a dream or vision from my internal world. Colors inspire me. I love playing with brilliant oranges, reds and yellows against deep blues and the almost black hue of Payne’s Gray. Long ago, while studying fine art, I was admonished by my professors for using pallets that were “too hot”. I am a bit of a rebel, so the feedback did not deter me. At the time I identified with the French impressionistic painters who used such strong colors that they were referred to as the Fauves, the wild beasts. There is also a living wildness within my psyche. I enjoy using a hot pallet and feel that this has been to my advantage when artistically envisioning the Event Horizons and Eccretion Discs of Black Holes featured in my current work. After all, the first time human beings saw a photo of a black hole was this year! I have heard from several art critics, that the vibrant colors used in my current work add to the richness and depth of “Cosmic Dialogues.” This new color pallet also invites the observer into their own creative exploration and creative inner dialogue.
You have an event in L.A. coming soon, are you excited about showcasing your work back in the West Coast Talk to us a little about what your fans can expect.
Cosmic Monologues is an ongoing exploration of archetypal images that are revealed to me as I paint. I am not done yet! At this point in my art career and my life, my goal is to express deep-seated archetypal images drawn from earlier landscapes and figurative paintings. My goal is to transform these concepts through rich and vibrant color and strong compositions to create powerful and imaginative paintings. My goal is to astonish myself and to share this sense of wonder with others.
Opening on November 9th and lasting for one-month, I will present a solo exhibit. Cosmic Monologues takes us on a journey between absence and consciousness. In the spring of this year, when astronomers captured an image of a Black Hole for the first time, I was astounded by the images from the Event Horizon Telescope. After all, Black Holes had previously been unobservable. I was so inspired that I rushed to my art studio, set up a large canvas on my easel, and began to paint the series that will be exhibited at Salon @ The Granada.
Black Holes remain a mystery, yet they invite us to glimpse the unexpected luminosities of reality. Virtual particles move in and out of existence all the time, just as we do. You see, empty space is never truly vacant, nor can our lives ever truly be blank, or meaningless. We can all choose to remake ourselves in each moment.
Bonus Question:
As I am the Fashionado, can you give us a little snippet of what you might wear at the event in Los Angeles?
As far as fashion is concerned, I am an artist and I like to wear clothes that I get paint on without getting upset. When inspiration comes, I am always ready to whip out a paintbrush. On the day of the opening, I do have a blue dress that matches Blue Star Implosion. If it gets a little paint on it, then it will be even more unique. I could even add it to an exhibit later. After all, it is my first art show in two years, and I’m ready to come out with a Big Bang! However, my second choice, in order to relate to the cosmic awareness of a dramatic and shining universe, would be a short V neck wraparound black dress with silver threads running through it. Both dresses are from a small fashion boutique, Altar’d State, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The staff was attentive and supportive in helping me find a style and size that suits me and my upcoming art exhibit at Salon @ the Granada in Los Angeles. The only way to discover what I will have on will be to attend the exhibit!
FASHIONADO
