About

“I have a strong belief that you need courage as an artist to break away from the mould. There always needs to be an element of fear in making work”

Cath Stocker is a Visual Artist and Curator living and working in West Wales.

Taking risks, challenging processes and experimenting with different materials are some of the essential things that drive me. I create work in 2 and 3D. My work is very often centred around ‘Artivism’ which is the anchor, concerned in raising awareness about social, political and environmental issues. I am an ambassador for causes I feel strongly about and strive to increase people’s awareness and perceptions through my art. ‘Sense of place’ and ‘Belonging’ are regular themes. Our connection with nature and the world around us resonates now more than ever and it is this connection that is reflected in the natural materials and finishes I work with.

I explore and celebrate the flaws in nature and the natural imperfections that give materials true beauty. I am fascinated with the patination process in metals and wood. Patination is an important feature in my work and I am constantly experimenting!

I am inspired by a broad spectrum of artists starting with my 5 times Great Grand Father, Rev. William Gilpin, founder of the Picturesque Movement, for his drawings, paintings, writings and travels around Britain and for leading concepts of landscape appreciation and conservation, culminating in the preservation of protected landscapes. His ideas have had a lasting effect on how we have now come to view the landscape. In the 1870s, through his tours of Britain, he gave travellers a new sense of regionalism, in which he taught people how to analyse scenery ‘relative to picturesque beauty’ and it is through his lens and writings that I am empowered to consider composition in my own work.

Constantin Brâncuși, a pioneer of Modernism, is the main influence in my sculptural work and my love of the ‘Modernist’ aesthetic extends into architecture.

I also find inspiration from painters such as American Abstract Expressionist, Hans Hofmann, who held a strong conviction about the spiritual and social value of art. This is a conviction I also share and use to galvanise the themes I am working on.

Another more contemporary influence on my work is Julian Schnabel the American painter and filmmaker, who frequently experiments with new materials and painting techniques, and embraces various modes simultaneously to avoid being limited by a signature style. I aspire to the same drivers, which resonate with my own practice”.

Originally from Buckinghamshire, Cath Stocker studied at Amersham College of Art & Design and Leeds Polytechnic, graduating with a B.A. (Hons) in Fine Art. Cath has exhibited extensively across the UK and as far afield as Finland and Austria as well as curating exhibitions for ArtCan Org.