Catherine Reed is a successful contemporary painter and sculptor known for creating bold abstract works bristling with energy and deep emotion.
Born in Northeast England and raised in Africa, Catherine’s childhood was spent living on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, travelling across Africa and experiencing the most incredible beauty of the land left a lasting impression on her. Growing up in a country surrounded by brutal racist regimes witnessing the struggle for civil rights has shaped her as a person and is why her work often details a willingness to confront political and social messages. Our increasingly destructive relationship towards nature and the global implications of these actions form a central element of Catherine’s work.
Self-taught Catherine’s work is multi-faceted. She describes her approach as “having no rules and disrespecting the canvas”- creating thick impasto, adding materials superimposed with slashes and scars to create dense deep, powerful raw imagery with a moving vulnerability. A qualified welder Catherine also works with scrap metal creating imposing sculptures, often inspired by African street art.
Catherine has exhibited across the United Kingdom -her piece Mountain Snowstorm was chosen by the global investment bank Investec to be a centre piece now hanging in their London headquarters.
Catherine completed her MA at Leeds Art University in 2019 and continues to strive to develop her practice creating pieces of art that inspire and evoke powerful emotions within people
“…..They brighten up my day each time I look at them, as they are colourful and vibrant and give me the opportunity to interpret them differently each time”
Private Collector
Artist Statement
Art saved my life!
That sounds dramatic but it's just reality as I look back. Before all this, I had what I believed was a plan to be successful and continue my rise up the career ladder fighting in the 'rat race'. Until I was placed in a situtaion by my superiors - a choice between standing up for others and what was right or ignoring behaviours so as not 'to damage my prospects'. It wasnt really a choice - I did and always will choose whats right whatever the cost. A childhood growing up in a country surrounded by brutal racist regimes taught me the importance of standing up for what is right, however small it may feel.
I felt as if I had lost everything, adript in a dark world of clinical depression. And then, I picked up some pencils and drew and drew and drew. Everything started to be released and it didnt stop. 7 years later and my world is transformed - now a professional artist and sculptor with exhibitions and sales globally.
Art is part of me - it is me. I leave a piece of my soul in every piece. I love passing that on to my collectors.I’m so excited that you are now part of my journey.
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