Catherine Hyde

Catherine Hyde trained in Fine Art Painting at the Central School of Art, London. Originally from the South East of England, she now lives in Cornwall and exhibits nationally.

Catherine Hydes' paintings combine symbolism derived from Greek, Norse, European and Welsh Myth. The fish, stag and hare are ancient symbols with multiple layers of meaning and she uses them to represent wildness, fertility and permanence - they leap through her landscapes soaring between the earth, sea and air, pulling the seasons along. They also express aspects of self - and can be seen as images of potential, contemplation and celebration.

She constructs her images by using a flattened pictorial space, often like a cross section, so that she is able to create an abstracted world, emphasising the connection between earth, air and water. Building subtle layers of paint and pastel to achieve shimmering, delicate and glowing surfaces on paper and canvas, she exploits the strong graphic quality of her work to create a serene and powerful imagery.

Her works contain a strange atmosphere of stillness and fecundity with an iconic quality that is dreamlike and magical. They are expressions of significance and contemplation, landscapes that resound with the profound connection between all living things.