Catherine Wagner Minnery

"Path Along the Hudson"
oil on panel
30"x 30" Framed

Catherine Wagner Minnery views the landscape as an important source of inspiration for much of the art that she creates, particularly the varied and familiar places close to her home and frequently traveled; the Adirondacks and the Hudson Valley.

Minnery works from quick, small studies that are drawn or painted on location and then reworks the images and ideas in the studio. "When working on a landscape, I am more concerned with capturing a personal sense of place rather than a 'correct' visual representation. In all my work, I like the tension that can result from balancing what one might see visually, on the surface, and the unseen or abstract."

In February 2008, Minnery exhibited large contemplative drawings of water and streams at the Mikhail Zakin Gallery in Demarest NJ. In 2002, her work was included in the "53rd Annual Art of The Northeast" in CT. In 2001, she, along with artist Anne Diggory, were part of the New York Times, "In Art's Footsteps"; a 10 part series that revisited locations illuminated by the Hudson River Artists. In 2002, she traveled to Rwanda, Africa with Catholic Relief Services and produced a body of work from that experience.

In November, 2003, she opened "working" Gallery/Studio in Schenectady NY and has been a member of the Piermont Flywheel Gallery since February 2004.

Minnery is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and a graduate of the Art Academy of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati. She is a resident of Saratoga Springs, NY.

"Working directly from nature is important to me but the final work on any piece is usually done in the studio. Regularly, I make quick sketches in small journals, often covering the drawings with written notes. If I can, I do small studies in watercolor and perhaps take a few quick photos for reference. But in the end, I try to rely more on memory and the unseen. not the strictly visual, when creating a piece. The landscape is an important inspiration for me, but almost any image or subject can interest me. I like creating a sense of place without having to be geographically correct."