Cathy Read Art

Growing up around mills in Middleton and Manchester, industry has been a backdrop for my life. Fascination grew and fuels a love of architecture, a curiosity about the lives of people and their relationship with the built environment surrounding them. I began meditating to uncover the psychology behind my paintings. Interesting questions occurred to me during the process, which now form part of the artwork. Telling stories of how people could interact with their environment and how the environment shapes the people who work there. Function and style can be at war or in harmony. A picture tells a story, often many. One goes about everyday life blind to our surroundings. We love novelty but ignore the familiar. By drawing attention to these everyday, ignored details, I seek an insight into the past and present day. Clues to the stories of former lives. The hands that built buildings, quarried stones, forged the metal-work, sent letters and bills, removed waste, and designed the everyday items, we take for granted. I focus on architecture because here big dreams are displayed, but attention to detail is paramount. I look for scars and perspectives which hint at the history of people and their places.