As written in The Leader Newspaper, Fall 2019: Original article
With some works of art, the piece speaks for itself. With the creations from Cathy Peters, the journey from blank canvas to art is as interesting as the final product itself.
“It all about the process with these pieces,” said Peters as she ran through the multitude of steps involved in creating her unique paintings, which come to life without ever having a paintbrush hitting the canvas.
Before anything else touches the canvas, Peters carefully applies a substance which resists the paint, pushing it away to other parts of the canvas. By controlling where the paint can’t go, she can manipulate the easel as the paint is dropped, and use good old fashioned gravity to do the work of moving the paint around.
Once it’s dried, she removes the resist, which leaves behind a striking series of blank canvas white lines which shape the image.
The final product is something that looks unlike any other kind of traditional painting. The style lends itself well to certain types of art, including topographical depictions of local landmarks, like Port Colborne’s famous canal.
“I tried a few different places, like Ridgeway and Crystal Beach, mapping out the streets with the resist to create the lines, but it didn’t quite work, you need an area that has that immediate recognition like the canals in Port Colborne,” said Peters.
Arts Place Gallery in Port Colborne will be hosting Peters’ work as its latest exhibit, called White Lines.
You can check out her work at the gallery, 714 King St., from Sept. 5 to Oct. 6, with a special artist’s reception being hosted at the gallery on Sept. 8 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
