Cathy Jones
After 40 years of being restricted to part-time painting I have now retired from a fulfilling career as a botanist with the Dept of Conservation. I am increasingly focused on painting professionally, while still visiting interesting plant sites, particularly alpine areas, as much as possible .
I continue to investigate twin themes of botany and figure-work using strongly outlined and stylised forms, often with vivid colour and bold botanical accuracy.
Serious comment underlying many of my works highlights ongoing struggles for both plants and women in a world of very mixed agendas.
2023 was a busy year for me with two exhibitions. The first, "With Thanks", showed at the McKee Gallery in Nelson's Suter, Te Aratoi o Whakatu, in August-September. A wall of tributes to some of the artists who have had an effect on my work was the focal point of the exhibition.
The second, "Seven from Twelve", at the Richmond Library (Nelson) was a selection of my favorites from the last 12 years.
My Washington Valley home-based Studio/Gallery in Nelson is open every Wednesday from 12pm to 5pm. See Contact tab for details and ART + CRAFTS brochure Nelson City.