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Cat Bennett

@catb.studio

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artist / author / teacher / optimist
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: online art classes~BOOKFUL
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Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, MA—Milton Avery, Adolph Gottlieb and Mark Rothko. What an amazing show of early work by these three artist friends and then the wondrous surprise of the later work! They met in NYC and took their summer vacations together in Gloucester dashing off fairly sprightly and sometimes amusing (Avery) and often sensitive (Gottlieb and Rothko) watercolors each day and looking at the day's work in the evening. Avery was 18 years older than the other two and a mentor. But the roles reversed and their experiments soon had him abstracting his own work. Some of the early beach scenes are great fun and then the beautiful leaps into abstractions. It was one of those times when I poked my head through the door and went "OH!" The first two images are Rothko, the second two Avery and the portrait of Rothko is Avery too. Testament to the joy and power of artists working and sharing together. If you're in the Boston area, it's worth stewing in traffic for this one! The shows ends September 27th. by @catb.studio

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22 days ago

"Paradiso Press / Bloom Anyway" This little "book" was accepted into The Roddy Show at Concord Art. I changed the title to Bloom Anyway after I took this photo but you get the idea. It's the biggest show of the year at CA and I'm happy to be in it. My piece may well be the smallest in the show but when I saw some other artists at drop-off struggling in with huge canvases, I was grateful I could waltz in with my art in a paper sandwich bag. If you're in the Boston area, the opening is on Thursday at 5:30. The CA openings are always fun! @concordart by @catb.studio

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24 days ago

Bookful Ode to David Hockney! This is our 20th Bookful—the 4-week online workshop I do with @barizaki. In the first week, Bari leads us in making a beautiful handmade book, this one will be Coptic stitch with Hockney art on the cover! And in the next 3 weeks, I lead us in filling the book. We're thrilled to make this Bookful an ode to David Hockney who has inspired us with his courage and verve, his careful looking, his bold visions and inventions, and his unending good cheer. I discovered Hockney in London aged 20 and he made me feel that art with humor can be a radical response to life. If you'd like to join us, please go to barizaki.com to sign up. Fun ahead! by @catb.studio

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a month ago

Studio! Back from our travels and super happy to see that my wonderful son @nickportnoybuilders and his team have installed walls in part of the basement and new windows that let in light and air! Taking the industrial look to new depths and I'm super excited to be moving on down! Now to set things up! Thanks, Nick! ❤️ (And check out Nick's IG page if you want some amazing house and design inspiration!) by @catb.studio

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2 months ago

Tate Britain, London. When we visited yesterday, we were surprised by some very late paintings by Turner that are almost abstract that were found in his studio after his death in 1851. They're hung with a single Rothko and look great together. In the great hall, we encountered what looked like a bar which we thought was a bit cheesy. It took us ages to realize the bar is an "installation" of some sort, its meaning lost on us. But it made me appreciate even more the beautiful small paintings artists all over the world are making for their own communities. So much to discover and appreciate around the corner. And here we are~home today! Super grateful for this great time away and the way it gave us fresh ideas, for seeing friends, and walking streets we'd never set foot on. And happy to be home again! by @catb.studio

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2 months ago

Piccadilly Circus, London. When I first came to London at the age of 18, I came up from the tube at Piccadilly Circus which was then a mad center of mayhem~traffic, streams of people and everyone shouting for us to buy this or that. They've taken out the round-about and pretty much got rid of cars~only buses, taxis and delivery vehicles. Piccadilly seems almost stylish now with its cool billboard displays though it's a bit cluttered with souvenir shops. Bye bye, London. It has been great to see you again despite the crazy heat. We figured out the bus today and went from Liverpool Station in the east end all the way over to Tate Britain. A great cheap way to get a city tour especially if you sit on the upper level. The bus drivers are fantastic drivers dodging cyclists, taxis and pedestrians. All quite harrowing! And just as we get it all figured out, it's time to head home. by @catb.studio

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2 months ago

London, Tate Britain. A beautiful portrait by Gwen John from 1903 and one by her brother Augustus who was the more successful artist at the time but only in terms of money. It happens. #gwenjohn by @catb.studio

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2 months ago

London. The grave of the visionary artist and poet, William Blake is across the street from our cheap hotel. I first wandered into the graveyard 15 years ago and was really surprised to stumble on Blake's grave stone which says he "lies nearby". A little beyond is another bigger stone installed on the ground in 2018 when amateur sleuths used burial records to pinpoint the actual site of Blake's grave. Blake spent his life writing poetry, making mystical engravings and printing books about imagination and God but he never received recognition or made money from his work. Yesterday evening we had a picnic dinner in the park adjacent to the burial grounds. As we were leaving, we met a lively group of various ages having a picnic sitting on the ground around Blake's recent stone. They said it was the 199th anniversary of his death and we signed a huge "birthday card" for him! He's recognized and celebrated now! by @catb.studio

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2 months ago

Tate Modern, London. We wiggled our way through crowds from our cheap hotel to Tate Modern which when it first opened was a favorite destination. Now it's so huge it's a bit exhausting. But we found the beautiful and peaceful Rothko room and really soaked it in. And another room of Gerhardt Richter. Some aspirational words on several walls and some really interesting gay erotic paper cut outs by a Chinese artist. As we approached that room we encountered a sign on the doorway : "Sensitive subject matter ahead. Please reach out to a guard if you need help rerouting your way through the museum." Of course, we carried on. We'll see what tomorrow brings bearing in mind that "the world I want is filled with ease." Stay tuned! by @catb.studio

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2 months ago

London. Massive development on the edge of The City since we were last here in 2018. The scale of the buildings is massive and rather inhuman. Luckily as we walked in another direction, we found the old London we know and love again. by @catb.studio

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2 months ago

Cambridge, England. Sometimes a few cows walk up from the vast common here and hang out next to the outdoor dining area of the pub. Farmers bring the cows to the common right next to the city to graze for the day. Only in England! by @catb.studio

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2 months ago

Kettles Yard Gallery, Cambridge , England. The Flower Show included work by greats like Henri Rousseau and contemporary young British artists. The English are particularly attuned to nature and the deep sense of beauty, history and presence in their charming countryside of fields, hedgerows and villages. Maybe because of this, they do botanical art with great charm, it seems to me. I particularly enjoyed the Howard Hodgkin which was only about 8" square and so full of life. And the sketchbook drawing from the turn of the 20th century by an Inuit artist in Greenland. At first, I thought it was an Inuit drawing from Canada. It's curious how they each stylize in similar ways as if there is a shared perception and hand. And I was reminded how sometimes very humble things can be so human and affecting. In order~Howard Hodgkin, William Nicholson, Tirzah Garwood (Eric Ravilious's widow on her deathbed), Inuit artist Isak of Igdlorpait 1900, Mary Newcomb 1985, Louise Bourgeois 2007. by @catb.studio

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2 months ago