ABOUT 

Catalina’s work stems from the notion of the ‘sublime experience’ in relation to memories and recollections of journeys to wild and isolated places, which invoke in her a sense of freedom. Her aim is to evoke her experience of being in nature, through a painting language that depicts the essence and atmosphere of particular places, rather than focusing on their physical reality.

Colour, surface and texture are important, but process and materiality are core to Catalina’s practice. Her personal concerns about the environment and freedom are sometimes included in the paintings through what she calls 'Dual Canvasses' in which vertical planes or barriers are added to the canvas. A clear methodology takes place within her work. Paintings start with an initial stain that determines the development of the composition, whereupon Catalina reacts to consecutive marks during the process leaving traces of the painting’s history.

Throughout her career, Catalina has been fascinated with experimentation and the alchemy of materials. Three years ago, she took the decision to make her practice as environmentally neutral as possible, following her ecological concerns. This inspired her to use egg tempera and natural materials. Life in her studio reveals a complex and unusual practice; the elaboration of pigments leading to the creation of paintings and 3D objects.

Currently, Catalina uses natural rock pigments collected in Colombia and processed in her studio, as well as indigo dye and metal powders to create new pigments. Her singular style is the ever-evolving product of her experimental nature.

For Catalina, the collection and preparation of the pigments is an artistic endeavour in itself, and therefore she includes them in her exhibitions. She is in the process of creating a comprehensive pigment collection that comprises her own pigments, donations, exchanges with other artists and purchased pigments.

Catalina co-founded The Wilderness Art Collective, a group of creatives, artists, explores and environmentalists whose work discuses the natural world and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).