Catherine O'Donnell

charcoal on paper

My practice is anchored in the suburbs, depicting the suburban aesthetic which shape and inform our everyday lives. In Torn #2, I have taken a much closer look at suburbia, focusing on an ordinary window cropped to the point where only the window dressings are on view. Through this charcoal drawing, I aim to extract the sense of humanity that emanates from lived-in spaces. I employ realism to ignite the imagination of the viewer and invite them to look beyond the mundane and banal. Seeking to reinterpret and reinvigorate inhabited environments by accentuating attributes of life and longevity, beyond physicality. Short BioO’Donnell holds an MFA (Drawing) NAS and a BFA (Distinction and Deans Medal) UWS. She exhibits widely. Artist residencies and grants have taken her across Australia and Internationally. Highlights include the British School at Rome, Cité des Arts, Paris, Scuola International di Grafica, Venice, Bundanon, Grafton Regional Gallery, the Big C, Parramatta Artist Studios and Hill End. Her works are represented in private and public collections both nationally and internationally, including AGNSW, Parliament House Art Collection, Artbank, Penrith Regional Gallery, MAMA, NAS, Grafton Regional Gallery, Grace Cossington Smith Collection, Blacktown City Art Collection and the Kedumba Collection of Australian Drawings.