photo by MIke Lynch at Olana, home of Frederic Church
"I am constantly inspired by the natural world;the sunrises and sunsets, the ordinary upstate NY landscape that I see on a daily basis. Of course, I also am deeply moved by the majestic: the rivers and streams and mountains that are part of this landscape. I could go on and on about light and shadow, the underlying abstract and spiritual components of any subject matter (other locales, interiors, still lifes or some combination) but I create art because I have a need to make visual the excitement I felt when I first looked at (or thought about) the subject at hand, searching for the unseen, not just the surface reality. "
"For my landscapes, I usually work from small studies and photos. Direct observation is important but I rarely start and finish a piece plein air but working outside recharges me. In the studio, I gather all my material and filter the subject matter through my own lens of experience and artistic sensibilities so the work will be a personal interpretation."
"I like Paul Klee's creative credo, 'Art does not replicate what we see; rather it makes us see.' "
Awards, exhibits and special opportunities:
In 2021 Minnery was a featured artist on the Artsy Shark website and in the January 2022, 518 Profiles magazine.
https://www.artsyshark.com/2021/03/04/featured-artist-catherine-wagner-minnery/
https://issuu.com/ininkny/docs/2022_january_518_profiles_magazine/34
Paints in Tow, In pursuit of the Flume
In February 2013, Minnery was awarded Best in Show at the Albany Center Gallery’s Project Art in Albany NY. And in 2010, Minnery participated in the Albany NY Institute of History and Art’s “Tomorrow’s Masters Today” exhibit in which her painting was one of ten to be designated as part of the Master Class. In February 2008, Minnery exhibited large contemplative drawings of water and streams at the Mikhail Zakin Gallery in Demarest NJ. In 2002, she traveled to Rwanda, Africa with Catholic Relief Services and produced a body of work from that experience. In 2001, she, along with Saratoga Springs artist, Anne Diggory, were part of the New York Times, "In Art's Footsteps"; a 10 part series that revisited locations illuminated by the Hudson River Artists.
In 2004, she joined the artist run, cooperative gallery, Piermont Flywheel Gallery, Piermont NY,
where she showed regularly for 15 years.
Her work is in galleries in northeastern US.
Her work is included in public, corporate and private collections.