https://www.catherinebartstudio.com/whyicreate daily 1.0 2026-09-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/2fa03040-715c-4d5b-bee0-f88359fea4c1/ChatGPT+Image+Sep+10%2C+2026%2C+05_21_59+PM.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/6d3bffc4-fa21-4282-9dac-0ba702210599/Catherine+B.+Art+Studio https://www.catherinebartstudio.com/services-content daily 0.75 2026-09-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/6522ba90-be8d-4bb7-8043-53f1755328ea/imgg-nf9-76mqthc0.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/56ac925c-ea58-4181-bb47-e0723d3ef7bc/ChatGPT+Image+Sep+10%2C+2026%2C+05_45_09+PM.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/779312dc-8e45-4d5d-ba81-899853195238/imgg-d8r-cochu7p9.png https://www.catherinebartstudio.com/why-i-create daily 0.75 2026-07-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/2196daec-fce1-43b6-9e57-d8354ac2e585/ChatGPT+Image+Sep+10%2C+2026%2C+05_30_08+PM.png https://www.catherinebartstudio.com/new-page-1-1 daily 0.75 2026-08-18 https://www.catherinebartstudio.com/remembering-collection-page-2 daily 0.75 2026-09-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/a53af797-5725-4be6-b6c0-8cf73b08ce7f/01.jpg Remembering Collection #1 02-06-2026 I began this piece while deeply remembering my grandmother. She was not only my favorite person in the entire universe, but also the key to unlocking my artistry. When I close my eyes, I reminisce about my grandmother gardening and taking great pleasure in searching for my beloved ladybugs. Ladybugs hold a sacred connection between my grandmother and me, just as art connects with my soul. Every ladybug carries a different shade, and each polka dot on their canvas is their very own imprint. To this day, my grandmother continues to visit me in the form of a ladybug. Every Christmas tree I decorate, at every milestone I reach, she lands on my hand. She appears in the pouring rain on my lap, and when I find myself beginning a new journey in life, her love and encouragement remind me that she is still with me. These frequent visits are part of what inspired me to create my first collection, “Remembering.” If you find yourself feeling a sense of nostalgia while viewing this piece, maybe it was always meant to find you. Viewing art is simply a mirror of yourself. Your memories hold a sense of authenticity that only you possess. That is why these pieces are made for remembering. My goal is to allow the viewer to think, “These wings are supposed to be mine.” You are the ladybug. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/1787332472924-KQWYC1FLX0E9SVXEI7R2/scan.pdf.png Remembering Collection #2 04-06-2026 I felt a deep inspiration to create something that aligned with the energy of my heart during this period of my life. I soon realized that with every stroke of purple, pink, and salmon, the heart was reflecting the love I was feeling both internally and externally. I created this piece on my 44th birthday. It was the happiest birthday I had experienced in a very long time. Purple was the color I desired to focus on, while the outlined edges naturally began to form graceful waves that curved unapologetically. This heart was created to reveal its authentic self through the years of learning how to love and understanding what it truly means to be loved. We often value age as a number—a way to label our beauty, our achievements, and the physical accomplishments the world encourages us to strive for. But this piece is a reminder that the heart does not measure itself that way. This heart was created as a remembrance to proudly love with all your heart. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/1789089563238-FMA2GTST4QKIZ9D3ACYW/scan0005.jpg Remembering Collection #3 05-13-2026 This piece was created for my daughter’s 17th birthday. Her special day fell during a time when she was scheduled to be with her father, so I sat quietly, remembering the day she was born. A true artist can still create while embracing the memory of receiving such a precious blessing, while also understanding what it means to experience milestones alone—especially those circumstances that are beyond your control. The bold shades of ombré reflected her bold spirit, while the individual tiles represented each age and every moment of watching her grow, year by year. These wings are for anyone who resonates with the understanding that a mother’s love exists in every shade and through every season. Near or far, a mother and child will always remain connected as one. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/1789676211226-GMJK53144PG2WLAGUV7E/scan0007.jpg Remembering Collection #4 03-17-2026 I was in complete awe the moment I named this piece “Angel Wings.” There was an immediate sense of emotion and passionate intention as I shaped the matching set into spears, mirroring one another as if they were meant to exist together. The deep sketches of teal and indigo, bordered with touches of yellow, became my interpretation of the connection between water and sunlight—two elements that can exist independently, yet somehow become more beautiful when they meet. In creating them, I felt as though I was harvesting a memory I had not yet lived, or perhaps remembering something my heart already knew before I had the words to understand it. I see these two angelic twins as a reflection of one another, carrying the simplicity of what it means to fly alongside someone—without fear, without separation, and without an ending. Forever. In that moment, I made a promise to myself: someday, I would remember the story I was experiencing while creating these wings. I did not yet understand what they were trying to tell me, but I trusted that the meaning would reveal itself when I was ready to receive it. Perhaps that is what makes art so honest. Sometimes we create the memory before we understand it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/1789677593967-HIVZ0HMIQJ1G2FNCLWOM/scan0010.jpg Remembering Collection #5 02-14-2026 Feathers were my inspiration for creating this piece. As one feather became two, and then two became many, I felt a sense of divinity unfolding before me—as though each feather carried a purpose of its own, yet was still connected to something greater. I envisioned a Native Queen walking proudly among her tribe and its council. Her crown was not given to her simply because of her title; it was earned through her acts of service, her strength, and the way she carried herself among those she was meant to lead. I intentionally kept the details minimal, allowing her worth to be reflected not in what she possessed, but in the virtue she carried within her. The feathers became a reminder that true beauty does not always need to announce itself. Sometimes, it is found in humility, in service, and in the quiet strength of knowing who you are. Feathers remind us that we were made to fly—not by fighting against the wind, but by learning to move with it. To trust its direction. To release what weighs us down and allow ourselves to be carried toward wherever we are meant to go. Perhaps the greatest freedom is realizing that we do not always have to know the destination before we allow ourselves to begin the journey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/1789677866168-9Y2E8AENY7V54U0YF7LJ/scan0011.jpg Remembering Collection #6 03-01-2026 I see this piece as a reflection of growth—the quiet, intentional kind that begins long before anything beautiful becomes visible. The seeds have been planted, nurtured, and cared for. Each variation of green represents another stage of becoming, reminding me that growth does not happen all at once. It unfolds through seasons of change, patience, care, and sometimes even uncertainty. There is beauty in remembering that every season serves a purpose. Some seasons are for planting. Some are for nurturing. Some are for waiting. And eventually, there are seasons when we are able to see the abundance created by all the care we gave when no one else could see it. This piece is my reminder to keep watering what matters. Water your dreams. Water your purpose. Water the parts of yourself that are still becoming. Because what we consistently nurture has the opportunity to bloom—and there is an abundance of beauty waiting to be produced through the work we are willing to give ourselves the patience and care to complete. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/1789677712465-ZYQVBS2YRBK80Y11UOX1/scan0012.jpg Remembering Collection #7 05-01-2026 As an artist, I believe femininity is a pure gift from God. Creating this piece required me to remember what it felt like to simply be a woman—to exist within my femininity without needing to explain it, defend it, or make it smaller. Throughout the years of living in masculine energy, I had become unfamiliar with the simple happiness of just being me. Strength had become something I knew how to carry, but softness was something I had to learn to welcome again. This piece became a bridge between the two—the feminine and the masculine—not as opposing forces, but as parts of the same woman. I began to understand that I did not have to choose between strength and softness, intuition and action, tenderness and resilience. There is power in allowing both to exist within me. To me, alchemy is the transformation that happens when we stop fighting the different parts of ourselves and begin to understand how beautifully they can work together. This piece is my remembrance of that balance. A reminder that femininity does not diminish strength, and strength does not have to silence femininity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/1789677748066-WOWWNNY067ZDJO3RDSI9/scan0013.jpg Remembering Collection #8 05-05-2026 I use music to inspire my creativity. The lyrics often tell a story—a memory captured in time, connected to where I was in my life and what I was learning about my purpose in that moment. Just like my life, the strokes in this piece are nowhere near perfect. They were never meant to be. The layers reflect the lessons I have carried, the moments I had to revisit, and the repeated attempts to simply become the version of these wings that brought me peace. Each stroke became part of the story. Some were intentional. Others were corrections, adjustments, and attempts to find my way back to what felt right. In many ways, creating these wings felt like living my life—learning, changing, starting again, and trusting that every layer had a reason for being there. I think of a koi fish swimming through a pond. It does not question every ripple or fight against every current. It simply keeps moving. So I did too. I just kept swimming. And somewhere between the music, the imperfect strokes, and the layers of trying again, I remembered that perhaps the goal was never to create perfect wings. It was to create wings that allowed me to keep going. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/1789677782495-9O3CIOMI6OSMFPXO9J6J/scan0014.jpg Remembering Collection #9 08-12-2026 The colors I chose reflected the boldness I had become comfortable expressing through my art. At the time I created these wings, I was beginning to feel settled in the freedom of saying what I felt without carrying the weight of wondering what others might think. There was something liberating about creating these wings. They gave me permission to express myself without hesitation—to put emotion, color, and feeling onto the page without considering how the finished piece might be perceived. For once, I wasn't creating with the expectation of being understood. I was simply creating. These wings became a space where I could be honest without consequence, expressive without explanation, and bold without apology. They allowed me to explore the parts of myself that had become comfortable speaking more freely, trusting that my art did not need everyone's approval to be meaningful. Perhaps that is what I was really learning through this piece: my art is allowed to belong to me before it belongs to anyone else. And in that freedom, I found another version of myself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/1789677824902-LHSY89IOWPA9WA7ASYWF/scan0015.jpg Remembering Collection #10 07-20-2026 July marked the one-year anniversary of my spiritual awakening. Remembering Mexico in 2025, where my children and I spent a long vacation surrounded by the vastness of the ocean, became the inspiration for this piece. There was something about being in the middle of that water—away from the familiar—that gave me permission to see and feel more deeply. The iridescent blue reminded me of crashing waves, constantly moving and changing beneath the light. The undertones of green and coral drew me further in, inspiring me to keep sketching beyond the surface—to look deeper than the mere movement of the ocean's tide. In many ways, these wings became a reflection of my own growth. They represent becoming a new version of myself while learning to embrace the parts of my journey that are still unknown. There is something both frightening and beautiful about entering uncharted territory. You cannot always see what is ahead, just as you cannot see the depths beneath the surface of the ocean. Yet there is a certain majesty in trusting yourself enough to keep going. The mystery of the ocean reminds me of the mystery of meeting your own soul for the first time. You may recognize the person looking back at you, but suddenly, you begin to discover depths within yourself you never knew existed. These wings remind me to keep exploring. To go deeper. To trust the unknown. And to welcome the beautiful mystery of becoming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/1789678361354-RRIMU2SCNBF0YTYT39E7/scan0016.jpg Remembering Collection #11 08-18-2026 Primary colors took complete ownership of this piece. This was the first time the word “Primary” imprinted itself on my creativity while sketching the Remembering collection. I found myself asking what it was about that word that could give shape, format, and pattern recognition to the wings simply by drawing back from the basics: Red. Blue. Yellow. There was something powerful about returning to the beginning—to work with what was already in front of me instead of searching for something more. In art, there is beauty in realizing that you do not always need more to create something new. Even when these are the only colors you have, you can blend them, transform them, and discover entirely new shades. One color becomes another. One idea creates another. One possibility opens the door to something you never imagined. It reminded me that creativity is not always about what we have access to. Sometimes, it is about how deeply we learn to understand and use what we already possess. We can create new shades, new opportunities, and new beginnings by mastering the colors we have always carried within us. Perhaps that is what “Primary” was asking me to remember: Go back to the basics. Use what you have. Create from within. Sometimes, everything we need to create something extraordinary has been within us all along. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a600b29c3d2fa1d54a037ec/1789678393383-Y7X4AIJM6Y95NAQ8QVUC/scan0018.jpg Remembering Collection #12 09-11-2026 This is my fight song. I define “Vindication” through self-love, inner forgiveness, and strength. It was never something I needed from another person. I eventually understood that I might never hear the apology I once believed I needed. This piece was not created to reflect the truth that was revealed after years of living through lies. It was not created to prove what happened, expose what was hidden, or wait for someone else to acknowledge what I already knew within myself. This was for me. And only me. There is a kind of freedom that comes when you stop waiting for someone else to give you the closure they may never be capable of giving. Vindication, for me, became something much deeper than being proven right. It became the moment I chose to believe myself, forgive myself, and reclaim the strength I had given away while waiting for someone else to make things right. I did not need their apology to move forward. I needed my own permission to heal. These wings represent that freedom—the strength to rise without an explanation, to love myself without conditions, and to forgive the version of me who stayed, hoped, questioned, and endured. This piece is not about what they did. It is about what I chose to do with what remained. I chose me. And that was my vindication.