Catherine McCargar
Walnut Creek, California
Impressionist artist Catherine McCargar paints primarily in transparent watercolor, capturing the fleeting brilliance and quiet subtleties of the natural world and countryside scenes. "The created world is splendidly colorful, and this delights me," says Catherine. A lifelong artist, she has been making pictures for as long as she can remember. Largely self-taught, she refined her skills over the years through plein air practice, painting alongside a group of established artists in the San Francisco Bay Area who had studied under the beloved watercolorist Jade Fon. Catherine’s studio is a dedicated space in her home, filled with natural light and the pleasant hum of creative disorder as she works at her easel or tabletop. When she's not painting, she tends to her thriving garden, propagating plants to share with friends, or cooking seasonal meals from her favorite Berkeley market.
Artist Statement
I work primarily in transparent watercolor, but I also use acrylics. Since childhood, I’ve felt almost compelled to make pictures and other forms of art. Over the years, I’ve found watercolor to be both practical to use and delightful in its results. I am essentially self-taught and forever learning.
I learned to paint landscapes outdoors by joining a group of plein air artists who met weekly at various locations around the San Francisco Bay Area. With these friends, I have enjoyed the atmosphere, sometimes calm, sometimes exhilarating, the everyday and the extraordinary views, the critiques of seasoned artist friends, and the camaraderie of it all. The created world is splendidly colorful, and this delights me. I try to capture the fleeting brilliance or muted nuances of color that others might not notice and present these discoveries to the viewers of my paintings.
Before about 2006, when I began painting plein air, most of my work consisted of studio pieces focused on floral still lifes or garden subjects. In addition to botanical motifs, much of my current work grows from plein air outings, some painted entirely on location, others developed later in the studio using plein air studies as references for larger paintings.
When I can’t paint while traveling, I take photos of interesting scenes and often use them to create paintings back in my studio. I sometimes accept commissions and have enjoyed creating several landscape pieces for clients who wish to capture a particular place, sometimes one from vintage family photos, a location of personal meaning.
I learned to paint landscapes outdoors by joining a group of plein air artists who met weekly at various locations around the San Francisco Bay Area. With these friends, I have enjoyed the atmosphere, sometimes calm, sometimes exhilarating, the everyday and the extraordinary views, the critiques of seasoned artist friends, and the camaraderie of it all. The created world is splendidly colorful, and this delights me. I try to capture the fleeting brilliance or muted nuances of color that others might not notice and present these discoveries to the viewers of my paintings.
Before about 2006, when I began painting plein air, most of my work consisted of studio pieces focused on floral still lifes or garden subjects. In addition to botanical motifs, much of my current work grows from plein air outings, some painted entirely on location, others developed later in the studio using plein air studies as references for larger paintings.
When I can’t paint while traveling, I take photos of interesting scenes and often use them to create paintings back in my studio. I sometimes accept commissions and have enjoyed creating several landscape pieces for clients who wish to capture a particular place, sometimes one from vintage family photos, a location of personal meaning.
Artist Background
Bachelor of Science
Press
A Creative Interview With Artist Catherine McCargar
The UGallery team talked with Catherine McCargar about her inspirations, studio rituals, and favorite place to look at art