"Cabana Plant" takes us to the tropics on an inspirational and imaginative journey. With it's vibrant palette of colors and exotic array of pinks, a warm, vacation-like feeling is conveyed. Expressive strokes of the brush and saturated colors in pink, green, purple, violet, indigo blue and white become a magical mix in this simple, distinctive painting. A strong circular motion keeps the composition moving drawing the eye back again to the organic beauty of the plant and it's lively nature. The painting was inspired by a simple potted plant and it's beautiful variegated leaves that blended both green and deep fuschia hues together. As I became engrossed in the process I found myself traveling in my imagination to a tropical island with beautiful cabanas and a soft breeze under a warm gentle sun. Exaggerating the use of pink seemed fitting to the dream.

Catherine J Martzloff

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The idea that life is like a work of art feels inspiring to me. Viewing life as an ongoing journey of discovery full of lessons in perspective and relationships parallels the experience of painting. The ups and downs, twists and turns are so similar to how I move a paintbrush and it’s influence on the paintings color, texture and presence. As I consider my artistic journey, it began before my first breath. I arrived with a love for creating as I believe we all do. A more conscious desire to be an artist /painter began around age 7 or 8. Drawing, painting and working with color were activities where I could feel a connection unlike any other. Hours flew by like seconds as I entered the magical world of making something. I didn’t have words for the experience at that time but I understood on a deep level what this time provided for me and that was hope! Hope was something that seemed to dissipate for me as grew up. While there was creativity in the home, a lot of chaos and uncertainty also existed. Creating, in the way I did through drawing and coloring was a form of relief from how scared inside I felt all the time. It helped me know there was something that I could feel secure in. I clung to that feeling. My path since then has been one of searching for a way to honor that creative part of my being. For many years I “stuffed” my artistic desires and unknowingly traded in on them for the life I thought I was supposed to live; which wasn’t all bad. Inside my heart though parts of my soul were dying. It took an experience that turned my world upside down to “wake-up” and re-consider the path I was on. Slowly, I found some courage to face my artistic self and see where the art might take me. Painting has been a big part of my life for some years now. At the core, my paintings are inspired by the color of hope and the power of wonder in every day life. They are founded upon that 7 or 8 year old girls desire to share her dream and the possibility of something beyond difficult times and experiences. These paintings are visual stories of an examined life that’s still in process and evolving through the experience of painting. I’m learning it can be a simple and rich tapestry of adventure over tim