Red Dragon Studio Opens Its Doors

Aug 14, 2013

Cathy Owen is another local artist who has every reason to say that she is “living the dream”. On August 3 Cathy, who has been painting and teaching for over 20 years, officially opened the doors of her brand new “Red Dragon Studio” which is located on Malcolm Lake near Ardoch. “My dream has always been to have my own gallery,” she said on opening day. Cathy and her husband Trevor were in the midst of serving guests wine and cheese just outside her recently erected gallery space, a rustic, cottage-style 9x12 building that houses her meticulously framed watercolor pictures as well as her other current work.

Cathy says she is primarily a self-taught painter and currently she teaches over 35 students, many of whom have gone on to become established artists themselves. Cathy's foray into art began in Halifax where she took evening courses in painting and later she continued her art education at the Ottawa School of Art. Watercolor painting is her main focus and she said she fell in love with the medium, as it was the one that best suited her personality. “Watercolors are spontaneous, challenging, exciting and often unpredictable, which is the reason that I was so drawn it right from the start.”

The wide range of subject matter she has on display in the new gallery shows that she does not like to stick to one particular style. Her more realistic paintings are done from photographs - one of a cedar tree; another of a small German fishing village, and they show her skills as a draftsman. Three other paintings, all based on the theme of leaves in the fall, also demonstrate her ability to clearly depict nature, though in a fresh, more personal way, with the leaves being used to create intricate designs in soft airy palettes that make them appear to float on air. Another of her styles is more surreal and narrative and is apparent in a second series of three paintings, each titled the Cycle of Life. One depicts the life of the monarch butterfly, the second, a dragonfly and the third, a pond frog. This series demonstrates Cathy's willingness to tackle more complex subject matter. In each painting the main subject is often repeated in various shapes and forms and while realistically represented they are placed in swirling, colorful backgrounds that allow each picture to stand as a magnificent and pleasing world unto itself.

Cathy explained her wide-ranging stylistic scope this way. “Because I teach both advanced and beginner painting, I tend to paint in various styles so that I am able to instruct my students in any style that they might prefer to paint in.” Cathy says that she is also the type of person who loves to tackle new things, which is perhaps why she has ventured into other mediums besides paint. Her stained glass pieces allow her to continue to create colorful graphic imagery using a glass on glass technique, which she frames in old salvaged windows or in hanging metal garden lanterns. Similarly her tile mosaic work, which comes in the form of patio stones, large decorative bowls, and bird baths allows her to create beautiful central landscapes and images of animals like swans and goldfish which she then encloses in colorful mosaic backgrounds.

Cathy will be holding workshops at the Malcolm Lake Studio. She will be offering a one-day beginners watercolor course this fall. For more information call 613-479-2137. Red Dragon Studio is located at 1091 Ridge Lane just off the Ardoch Road. Visitors can drop in by chance or make an appointment.