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Need some colour? Look no further than the paintings of Cathy Tabbakh.
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From a French-Armenian background, Cathy found a place to express creativity and launch her platform as an artist in London. Although she has been painting since high school, Cathy only truly dedicated herself to her art during the pandemic! You might have heard of Matthew Burrow’s initiative called the Artist Support Pledge - multiple artists, including Cathy, relayed art pieces from other artists to create mutual support in the art market. We loved that community spirit! According to Cathy, this gave her the confidence to get started, make a living from her art, new galleries and most importantly, meet and talk with many artists.
Cathy reflects on the 2020 hiatus as a moment when she “had all the time in the world to paint, paint and paint!” and felt ”a sense of freedom in [her] art that [she] had never felt before despite the anxiety caused by the pandemic.”
Looking at Cathy’s paintings, there is a clear homage to David Hockney, who is one of the pillars of Cathy’s inspiration. But also Matisse or Jonas Wood. Resorting to a sea of deep blues, sometimes Royal, sometimes Cobalt, Cathy’s work is an eye-catcher.
Her studio itself shouts colours and plants, which you are likely to find in her paintings. Surrounded by those elements on a daily basis, Cathy’s art alternates between still items – pots, water, leaves and flowers – and popping colours, inducing a combination of serenity and aliveness. Dreamy!
Now, Cathy navigates between bustling London and Brighton, where she likes to do long painting sessions, easily up to 12 hours a day. It is her way to avoid losing track and focus. There are also times of exploration – indeed, she is currently incorporating ceramics into her practice, which changes her routine a little bit!
She likes to stress the fact that there is a hidden part of being an artist that consists in handling the administrative aspects of the practice and represents a non-trivial load. Nowadays, being an artist also means promoting your art: taking good quality photos for your website, preparing posts for social networks, catalogs of works, applying for tenders or interviews to gain visibility. To her fellow artists, Cathy recommends the following readings:- "Navigating the Art World - Professional Practice for the Early Career Artist" by Delphian Gallery- "How to Be an Artist" by Jerry Saltz - "What They Didn't Teach You in Art School" by Rosalind Davis and Annabel Tilley.
Now, for those who want to brighten their lives with Klein blues, vivid greens, vibrant purples, lemon yellows and bold reds, her online solo exhibition with New-York based gallery Court Tree Collective is definitely worth a stop. The show has been featured on Artsy and is on until March 22. If you fancy a stop in Belgium, Cathy Tabbakh will exhibit her plant and colour-filled paintings in a solo presentation at Galerie Dessers from March 13 to April 10. Displaying her work in the USA, Europe and Australia, Cathy Tabbakh has also been commissioned by Soho House on a ceramic piece for the new Soho House opening in Brighton... Come have a look soon and support your local artists!
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