The compelling childhood experiences in the family fabric business led Cathy Breslaw to an early potent source and connection with the elements of texture, pattern, color, shape and design. "Exposure to the feel and visual diversity of fabrics has left an indelible mark on my psyche", comments Ms. Breslaw.

Cathy's acrylic works on paper and canvas are strongly affected by her drive to create, to access her interior world and to communicate those realms through paint. Breslaw believes that working abstractly is the best way of expresssing her images and ideas. Marks, symbols, line, form, and color become metaphors for describing relationships and the structure of experience in the painting process.

This artist, who practiced as a psychotherapist, draws on the link between abstraction in painting, abstract thinking and the development of human relationships. In counseling we analyze our relationships with people in an effort to clarify, improve ourselves, and gain equilbrium in our lives. The use of abstract thinking required in counseling is as critical in the development of abstract painting as are the symbols or objects that may be linked together to become cohesive, balanced and meaningful.

Ms. Breslaw also attributes her extensive travel to the Pacific Rim, Europe, Greece, Israel, and Mexico as having played a vital role in the evolution of her art. "Universal themes, myth, and stories influenced by the power of nature seen in other cultures and their art has served to activate, deepen and energize my work", states the artist.

Exploration and discovery of acrylic paint applications have led Breslaw to the uses of collage, Chinese calligraphy, computer generated design, and other experimental non-conventional materials and tools. Through years of invention and refinement, a spontaneous yet conscious direction has evolved in the development of her paintings. She is currently engaged in the interrelationships of organic form, line, geometric pattern, surface and space.

Cathy Breslaw was born in Coral Gables, Florida, raised in Baltimore, Maryland and received her university and graduate school educations in Washington, D.C. She resides in southern California.

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