ARTIST STATEMENT
My current body of work deals with time and the concept of creating and interpreting memories; which have always been essentials for the human experience. The fluidity of the materials used in these drawings, ink or paint mixed with water, serves as a metaphor for making and recording memories. When the washes interact with the drawing surface they immediately stain it, leaving a record, a memory, of their existence. As the water slowly evaporates, only reticulations are left behind; always lighter and less vibrant than their original state. Thus time, ink, and water collaborate to create a visual metaphor for experience and memory. These interactions are repeated several times for each piece, referencing humanities ability to consistently layer new memories over old memories. Since every individual has different experiences, and memories, the drawings use abstract imagery that use balance and complexity to allow each viewer his or her interpretation.

ARTIST BIO
Austin Cathey is a North Carolina based artist who grew up outside of Asheville, NC. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville with a BFA in Drawing in 2015, where he graduated Cum Laude with Distinctions in Art. In 2020, he also completed an MFA in painting and printmaking at Miami University. In addition to being FRANK Gallery’s first apprentice artist-in-residence member, his work has been featured in multiple publications and resides in many private collections. Austin currently lives in Carrboro and works out of the Eno Arts Mill studios in Hillsborough, NC.