Caren Catterall

Caren Catterall is a Sonoma County printmaker who has been making etchings for over 50 years, after graduating from California College of Arts and Crafts. Highly detailed etching on copper is her preferred medium, but sometimes she uses monotype, collagraph for the textures, or linoleum for a graphic design. Her original, limited editions are all individually printed in small batches, each one inked and wiped by hand, then run through a press to transfer to archival cotton rag paper.
Inspiration comes from considering what kind of myths the world needs to hear in this moment to bring us healing, hope and wonder. It is an artists’ gift to be able to create realities and open up to the possibility of magic in our lives.

Although primarily a printmaker, in 2021 Caren Catterall wanted to try a different medium for a change . Caren chose encaustic, painting with hot beeswax, because it was very different from the fine details of etching. It also had transparent qualities of the layers, and you could embed objects, and collage images. After the initial learning curve it became apparent that there were more similarities between printmaking and encaustic. Monotype prints also have many ways to approach it, and at first you are pulled along, but later gain control. Layering ghosts (the faint remnants of the previous print) gives you transparent qualities when applied very thinly. Ultimately the prints often are mounted on the panel for the background layer of the encaustic pieces.

The series of the Vanishing Bees is an appropriate homage to the bees which supply the materials that are used in encaustic painting, and much of our food.