Not so Wordless Wednesday: Cathy Rycroft, Naturalist and Painter

While photographing Cathy Rycroft's exhibition at Port Moody's City Hall today, I was struck by her deep love of the four-legged, finned and feathered. When you look at the eye of an animal she has painted, you can't merely glance; you are captivated by the gaze. It honestly felt as if I was the object of scrutiny! Experiencing a painting like this can only happen if an artist knows his or her subject very, very well.

Cathy's creations feel so natural...depictions of animals painted on wood and stone. You can see the grains and twists in the burled wood and the pattern of the stone, whether crystalline or marble. It's apparent that she chooses the subject for a particular material carefully.



Cathy has been painting for over 20 years and you can find more of her work in the Blackberry Gift Shop in Port Moody. She also paints on canvas and more of her work can be found on her site, Cathy Rycroft: Equine Artist. The slide show above features work currently currently on exhibition at City Hall.

Enjoy the detail in Cathy's work, her knowledge of anatomy, and her ability to animate the creatures she paints.

The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and fire.   

                                                                             — Sharon Ralls Lemon