We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cathryn Collopy O’donnell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cathryn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I first started painting at the age of 71, the year before the Covid pandemic. At the time, I had been retired for about eight years from a career as a Professor of Spanish Language and Literature and was spending my retirement as an actor in English-language and bilingual productions at colleges and universities and small black-box and community theatres in Southern California. With the world of theatre locked down, another outlet for creative endeavors was needed for me to feel fully functional. The lockdown spawned the growth of online art-centered workshops, and I spent my time enrolling in as many of them as I could.

In some ways, I would have liked to have started earlier in life since making art and developing your skills and unique voice is a matter of doing the time and, clearly, I began quite late as a visual artist. I imagine that if I had started drawing and painting in younger years, I might be more well-known among art collectors and would have by now achieved a much richer body of work. On the other hand, I know some artists with years of training and well-developed skills who feel stuck in their work — repeating the same themes and use of materials over and over– and who express difficulty in freeing themselves from following the rules of composition, line, color, and value. While they claim they just cannot loosen up in making their art, I am fortunate to have no problem being loose, intuitive, expressive and experimental. I think that my expressiveness and curiosity for trying many ideas and ways of painting is due to the fact that I did not have formal training in younger years.

Cathryn, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

At present, from my new home in Wilmington, North Carolina, there are numerous opportunities to show one’s artwork. I am able to participate in local exhibitions on a consistent basis, from small group shows to very large art association exhibitions. I have had two one-woman shows this past year: “Perfectly Imperfect,” at the Leland Cultural Arts Center and “Drawn to Expression,” at Berkshire-Hathaway of Wilmington (pastel drawings, acrylic and mixed-media portraits and figures). Additionally, I have created works specifically designed as part of theatrical sets as well as cast/character portraits at the Brunswick Little Theatre in Southport, North Carolina. My paintings are exhibited and for sale at Sunset River Gallery in Calabash, one of the largest art galleries in the Carolinas.

My work focuses on the female face and figure and the expression of the psychology of being female: our inner life, struggles, strengths and dreams. I am an expressive painter who aims to convey human emotion and to celebrate the beauty of the female form.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Learning to understand art, not solely as a mere copy of reality, but rather as the projection of the unique voice of artists and other creatives is essential for creating a public that isn’t afraid to really look, ponder, ask itself questions, and ultimately discover an emotional or psychological connection with what individuals see.

Everyone could learn to love and be curious about art! To foment that love and curiosity and ongoing support for artists and creatives, we need to invest much more in education, expanding classes and dedicated hands-on creative programs for children and adults of all ages in our schools and cultural institutions.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want people to see me as an individual and connect with me through my art. While underlying much of my creative journey is a drive to understand myself, there is also a strong focus on discovering and portraying the human condition, especially those emotions, struggles, experiences and dreams that constitute being a woman throughout time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cathrynodonnellart.studio
• Facebook: Cathryn Collopy O’Donnell Art Studio