Artist Statement Cathy Coe I have always been interested in architecture and space…the design, functionality, and visual beauty of physical spaces. As I paint, I pay attention to both the shape itself and the negative space around it.

I intentionally position bold, textured surfaces next to smooth, flat surfaces, dark blues and blacks next to soft whites and yellows. The juxtaposition of unlike shapes and surfaces creates tension and pop, which arouses the senses, compelling viewers to come in and have a look around.  

Over time I have developed my own visual vocabulary—playful, quirky, deliberately ambiguous. Childhood memoires inspire colors, images and marks—floating in a blue lake, gazing up at star-studded skies, secret handshakes and passwords. Like William Blake’s poetry, my art vacillates between innocence and experience, past and present, real and imagined.

A writer by trade and avid reader, it’s not surprising that many of my paintings suggest a narrative. I intentionally leave plenty of room for viewers to make up their own stories. When this happens—when different people have wildly different stories to tell about the same piece—I consider the work successful. Cathy Coe If you wish to contact me regarding my work, either send a message from this website or email me directly at cathycoe@comcast.net.