The way I approach my art work has evolved as I've learned more about myself and the world, as I've migrated to new media, and as I've developed new skills. Although I like the concept of "series" art, I'm more likely to experiment with each new piece I design and look for new ways to manifest the design as visual art. When I was younger I always started with a production goal. Now my goals are process goals.

Sometimes the designs are created for art that is pretty, for times when "just pretty" is enough. Most of my polymer clay work falls in this category – wall art, individually wrought beads, jewelry integrating my beads with purchased beads and findings. These designs are usually triggered by images – sunrises as I drive to work, views of the beach from earlier in my life, flowers.

At other times the designs are for art that carries a message from me to the world; the message may appear pretty on the surface but it usually has layers of meaning – collages, assemblages, altered books. I think of these pieces as PolyMelanges – lots of layers of materials and meanings. Most of these PolyMelanges are about inequity, spiritual beliefs, and the human condition. It is important to me that I release the messages to the universe, even if only through the thoughts needed to create the designs.

Artella: Do you actually buy much of other folks' art, or just use it for inspiration? Most 'non-famous' artists sell their work at slave-labor rates, and the public has come to expect to get art at bargain-basement prices. Any suggestions for over-coming this?

Cathe: My husband and I have bought a lot of art, mostly at juried art fairs. We have never bargained for good prices for art; instead, we've purchased items that spoke to us and at the original asking price. I feel that art always has more value than the price that is charged for it. If I can't afford the art, at least I have the memory of being in tune with it for a few minutes. If I can fit the item into my budget, then I do – usually without regard for where or how to exhibit it. That may not make for a good art collection, but it makes for art owners who have pieces they love.

By the same token, I charge a lot for my art. I'm lucky that I don't have to support myself with my art. I'd rather have something exhibited on Artella or elsewhere for a long time so that many people can enjoy it than sell it cheaply and quickly. And although I charge a lot for my artwork, I'm happy to give a piece away when that feels like the right thing to do. Neither my life nor my art is about money.

Artella: The possibilities to "create art" when you're a novice seem endless -- where's a good starting place? How can you use your art for others?

Cathe: The best starting place for creating art is viewing art in an art museum, a library, or a bookstore that allows browsing. If you have art training, then you have a feel for where to start. Which medium captured your essence during your training? I loved the visceral input of clay but it was photography that made me, a consummate night owl, get up to be at the darkroom at 5:00 in the morning – as soon as it opened. I believe that I would have been drawn to art even without the luxury of art classes as a young child and as a college student. Even now, a few hours spent in an art museum, a library, or a Barnes and Noble – soaking up art or reproductions of art, exploring biographies or philosophies of artists – inspire me. Sometimes the words come into my head and I start designing visual images to support those words; the visual images and the emotions tell me which medium to use to create my pretty art or message art.

When I feel the need to experiment with my media but my manipulations don't conjure up a goal, I usually resort to creating "Found Art". The idea of creating a small piece of art – the best art I can create at the time but physically small – and giving it away excites me. One of my concerns is that we are becoming a country of "haves" and "have nots". I'm lucky to "have" an appreciation of and ability to create art; sharing my art through "Found Art" (foundart.org) helps me feel as if I am contributing an experience of art to others.

Marney's commitment to donate part of her profits to worthy causes give artists a way to help themselves with visibility and sales, to help Marney in this creative endeavor, and help others.

Artella: What advice do you have for those with big dreams, who stop themselves because they think it's too late in life to try to follow them?

Cathe: For me the question becomes "why create?" and I answer it by saying that I can't resist. This doesn't mean that I am focused or expect to be a famous artist some day. If those were my goals I probably would be intimidated by trying to follow my dreams. But since I am driven to create something, I try to facilitate the process and create as much as I can while I can. I would consider myself more lucky to live fewer years and experience the creative process on an ongoing basis than to live a long life and always wonder what I would have created if I had tried.

Artella: You are talented and skilled in so many areas.  Do you have a favorite medium, technique or type of art, and why?

Cathe: After experimenting with many media I've settled on the ones that give the most to me – working with polymer clay, graphic imagery, and fiber art.

– I love the tactile experience of working with polymer clay. Mixing colors, stretching my skills, learning from masters in this new and exciting medium – it doesn't get much better than this.

– I still love photography after nearly 40 years. I was lucky enough to take classes from Jerry Uelsmann before digital manipulation was a reality. The art and science of multiple-negative photographic prints introduced me to the possibilities of using mundane images in magical ways. I mostly manipulate images with a computer now, or by layering them either literally or figuratively in constructions that range from two dimensional to multiple layers.

– My fiber art may incorporate mass-produced printed fabrics or papers, self-created fabrics or papers, re-purposed books, or even beads and other embellishments. Some of these works are sculptural while others are purely two dimensional.

Artella: If you could apprentice with any artist (past or present) who would it be?

Cathe:
– Although I was not an apprentice, my photography experiences with Jerry Uelsmann started me at the abstract end of the photographic spectrum. I met Ansell Adams once and would love to have been able to learn from him instead of from his books and works.

– And Leonardo de Vinci – the master of everything. By working with him I could quench my curiosity about the known and the unknown in science and art.

– As for living artists, I've been lucky enough to take classes in polymer clay from Grant Diffendaffer, Maureen Carlson, and Lindley Haunani. I deeply regret that I've never had an opportunity to take a class from Mike Buessler.

See Cathe's wonderful products in The Shoppes of Artella, here.