Cathryn (Reitler) Sugg

I am interested in producing work which has depth beyond that of the original imagery. The re-used aluminum lithography plate, the bed sheet sewn by my grandmother, the sun bleached wood from an abandoned homestead; all contribute a visual age and roughness.
Although the objects original existence is rarely translated, the physicality is satisfying on a sensual level. I desire my work to have strength of presence that is communicated equally regardless of the distance from which it is viewed.
The process I follow is not unlike that of many artists whose work typified the abstract e...

I am interested in producing work which has depth beyond that of the original imagery. The re-used aluminum lithography plate, the bed sheet sewn by my grandmother, the sun bleached wood from an abandoned homestead; all contribute a visual age and roughness.
Although the objects original existence is rarely translated, the physicality is satisfying on a sensual level. I desire my work to have strength of presence that is communicated equally regardless of the distance from which it is viewed.
The process I follow is not unlike that of many artists whose work typified the abstract expressionist period. I work with many different sources and images, layering them in a way unique to lithography. I print not just on paper but in most instances on sheer materials such as cheesecloth or thin polyester. Many of these prints are made into translucent boxes whose images shift with the perspective from which it is viewed. My installations are multi-dimensional and hung freestanding, such that when lighted properly create a definite presence in the space in which they are hung. The paintings also involve a layering of images and are loosely sew together from found fabrics or involve other media such as aluminum plates.
In my work I experiment with both present and past, as did Robert Rauschenberg, whose work I appreciate and emulate. He once said, “Painting relates to both art and life- neither can be made.” Undoubtedly, ones’ role in either is minute, and yet I have come to recognize my role. I feel myself not unlike an echo; the afterthought that occurs in relation that which has already occurred.
It is through printmaking and painting that I attempt to make tangible that which tends to be most elusive; the element of time.