Artist’s statement
When I spend time outside, my eye tends to be drawn to the microcosmos (the world of tiny things beneath our feet). Insects, ant hills, decaying leaves, soft beds of moss, the infinitely varied colors and textures of rocks, tiny flowers gone to seed: I find all of these incredibly beautiful and moving. In my imagination, the colors of these minuscule scenes are heightened and I find myself drawn in, as if being sucked into a portal to another world. Moss takes on the appearance of stars, tiny shells and pebbles shimmer, pavement turns ultramarine blue, and bits of wood become galaxies. Suddenly I find myself staring into outer space, instead of at the ground.
In my current work, the paintings may appear naturalistic at first glance. On closer inspection, it becomes obvious that the colors, textures, and compositions have been altered and stylized. The elements of nature that I depict serve as symbols that stand in for nature as a whole. I intentionally search for and create aesthetically harmonic relationships between colors, forms, and textures, allowing the paintings to become meditations on the relationship between the microcosmos and the macrocosmos, as well as humanity’s place in between.
Though the paintings have a poetic quality, I intentionally title them in a straightforward way. This allows the viewer to be drawn into the image without preconceived notions about what thoughts or feelings they should come away with. The effect that a painting has on a viewer may change depending on their present state of mind, which allows them to become an active participant in the work. The title and evident subject of each painting can serve as an anchor, holding the viewer’s feet to the ground while the mind is free to travel beyond the surface.
Bio
Cathy Durso is an artist based in Springfield, Massachusetts. Her paintings, drawings, and bookbinding work have been exhibited throughout the US. She is a 2020 recipient of an Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Her artist’s books can be found in the special collections of libraries throughout the US.
Cathy grew up in northwestern Connecticut and received her BFA from the Art Institute of Boston. Cathy spent time living in the Boston area and in Minneapolis, MN. In 2020, she became a mother and relocated back to Massachusetts.
CV
Education
2010
MLS, Archives Management Concentration, Simmons College, Boston, MA
2008
BFA cum laude, with Art History Minor, Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, Boston, MA
Solo and two-person exhibitions
2025
What sparkles beneath my feet? (solo), ECA Gallery, Easthampton, MA
2020
Cathy Durso (solo), Waseca Art Center, Waseca, MN
2018
Healing Arts – Featured Artist (solo), Hudson Hospital and Clinic, curated by Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI
Unnamed | Undefined (two-person), Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, Fridley, MN
Featured Artist (two-person), Hennepin County Health Services Building, Minneapolis, MN
Healing Arts – Featured Artist (solo), Westfields Hospital and Clinic, curated by Phipps Center for the Arts, New Richmond, WI
2017
Satellite (solo), MacRostie Art Center, Grand Rapids, MN
Orbital Resonance (solo), AIM Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2013
Menagerie (solo), Thomas Crane Public Library, Quincy, MA
Selected group exhibitions
2025
Locals No. 2, Pulp Gallery, Holyoke, MA
Layers, Indian Orchard Mills Dane Gallery, Springfield, MA
2024
Bloom, Albany Center Gallery, Albany, NY
2023
Viewpoint, Becket Art Center, Becket, MA
Bound/Unbound: Artists’ Books from the Special Collections, Pierre Bottineau Library, Minneapolis, MN
2022
Motherhood, Gateway City Arts Small Works Gallery, Holyoke, MA
Here + Now (juror: Francine Weiss), Gallery 263, Cambridge, MA
2021
Holiday Small Works Sale, Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA
Is This A Book?!, Minneapolis Central Library, Minneapolis, MN (traveled to Walker Library, Minneapolis, MN)
Pigments Revealed Symposium Exhibition, wildpigmentproject.org
2019
Small Works, Red Wing Depot Gallery, Red Wing, MN
New Editions, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minneapolis, MN
Biennial Juried Exhibition, Great River Arts, Little Falls, MN
To The Moon And Back, Hudson Hospital and Clinic, curated by Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI
Color Me, Opening Night Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2018
Small Works, Red Wing Depot Gallery, Red Wing, MN
Mill City Art Show, Public Functionary, Minneapolis, MN
2017
Small Paintings (juror: Sally Johnson), Red Wing Depot Gallery, Red Wing, MN
Roots and Wings (juror: Eric William Carroll), Silverwood Park Gallery, Saint Anthony, MN
Abstract, Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Minnetonka, MN
La Mese delle Donne, Rochester Art Center, Rochester, MN
From Farm to Table, Red Wing Depot Gallery, Red Wing, MN
Summer Arts Discovery, Landmark Center, St. Paul, MN
2016
National Parks – Personal Narratives, Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI
Systems in Nature, Wargo Nature Center, Lino Lakes, MN
2015
Breaking Ground, Lunder Center for the Arts, Cambridge, MA
2014
Bibliophilia, Nave Gallery Annex, Somerville, MA
2013
Wings, Tails & Scales, The Greater Columbus Convention Center, in conjunction with the Midwest Veterinary Conference, Columbus, OH
2012
The Hundreds Show, Lincoln Arts Project, Waltham, MA
100 Prints Celebrating 100 Years, State Transportation Building, Boston, MA
30 Under 30, Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown, MA
Arte Natura, Limner Gallery, Hudson, NY
2011
Animals & Botanicals, Lincoln Arts Project, Waltham, MA
Critters, University of New England Art Gallery, Portland, ME
Black & White, Lincoln Arts Project, Waltham, MA
Small Works Show, Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown, MA
2010
Small Works Show, Raandesk Gallery, New York, NY
Unhinged, Gallery 263, Cambridge, MA
Teeny Tiny Art Show #7, Three Graces Gallery, Portsmouth, NH
Little Critters, Nave Gallery, Somerville, MA
2009
Teeny Tiny Art Show #5 and Teeny Tiny Art Vendor, Three Graces Gallery, Portsmouth, NH
Junko Revival, hosted by Glovebox, Rescue, Allston, MA
2008
Senior Exhibition, Art Institute of Boston Main Gallery, Boston, MA
Archives of the Unnatural: BFA Exhibition (three-person), Art Institute of Boston Gallery at University Hall, Cambridge, MA
Awards and commissions
2020
Artist Initiative Grant, Minnesota State Arts Board
2019
Minneapolis Art Lending Library, Minneapolis, MN
Utility Box Wrap Public Art Project, Eden Prairie, MN
2018
Next Step Fund Grant, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC)/McKnight Foundation
Eagan Community Supported Art, Eagan, MN
Public Collections
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Bainbridge Island, WA
Baylor University Libraries, Waco, TX
Boston Public Library, Boston, MA
Florida State University, Strozier Library, Special Collections, Tallahassee, FL
Hennepin County Public Library, Minneapolis, MN
Indiana University Bloomington, Wells Library, Art & Architecture Collections, Bloomington, IN
Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, MN
Scripps College, Denison Library, Special Collections, Claremont, CA
Smith College, Neilson Library, Special Collections, Northampton, MA
University of California Los Angeles, Biomedical Library, Special Collections, Los Angeles, CA
University of Miami, Otto Richter Library, Special Collections, Judaica Studies, Miami, FL
University of Michigan, Art, Architecture, and Engineering Library, Special Collections, Ann Arbor, MI
Professional workshops
2019
Seed to Pigment: A Local Indigo Experience, Vibrant Valley Farm, Portland, OR
Foraging for Earth Pigments, Wildcraft Studio School, Portland, OR
Art from the Landscape – Wildcrafted Pens, Inks, Pigments, Paints, and Crayons, Bowie, MD
2018
Pigment Foraging, Early Futures, Oakland, CA
Natural Paintmaking, Wildcraft Studio School, Portland, OR
Making It Public Workshop, Forecast Public Art, Bloomington, MN
Selected Publications
2014
Little Book of Bookmaking: Timeless Techniques and Fresh Ideas for Beautiful Handmade Books, written by Charlotte Rivers, published by Potter Craft
2013
Uppercase Magazine issue 16