Mountain Mayhem: ‘Tis the Season

Isa Catto Studio is featured as a must stop shop for gifts this holiday season.

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Regular studio happenings, new pattern designs and gardening at 8K.

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Jan 28

Good things come in threes. It was a day on zoom, a day of admin and busy work. That stereotype of artists and designers creating with ease, creating without pause or interruption— not so much. That’s why artist residencies are so important. The elk don’t care of course. They’re just big and elegant and watchful. I wrote a blog post about my relationship to our small canyon’s resident elk herd. Go to link in bio.

Jan 21

I just finished my latest color/Pi iteration in a specific palette. This study is earmarked to raise funds for a great cause– more on that in a couple of weeks. I’ve written about this before but I’m trying to give more both personally and professionally. Our studio manager @ted_maertens found a solution to donating painting sales. He uses a great auction platform to sell directly, and then we turn the final bid around and donate the sale straight to the non-profit. Unfortunately, when you donate a piece of your own art directly to an institution you can only write off the cost of materials, not the value of the piece. So selling the art in-house, then donating the proceeds makes more sense. Out of curiosity, if you are an artist do you donate your work directly or do you designate a painting for a cause and then donate? If you want to learn more about this tax law, read Shelia Regan in @hyperallergic who further explains the law and why we should change it! Spoiler alert the law was created because of Richard Nixon🤯...go to the link in bio to get the full scoop.

Jan 8

Wrapping up the day while Rose waits patiently for her evening stroll. I started a new series focused on the more intimate details of the garden. A beat up Hawthorne tree inspired this painting. For a few years one of my non-native trees, a Hawthorne, attracted our bear-in-residence. Every Fall he would sit in the small tree and wreak havoc. Every Fall I would prune the broken limbs and hope to get the tree back into shape. And the tree did grow back, but on its own terms. I used to despair over its spooky, Grimm’s fairy tale like appearance but now I like the evidence of its resiliency. So this is a snapshot of the tangle of limbs and shoots, with lingering berries, on a clear winter’s day. Swipe for a closer look.

Dec 31

One of my studio visitors recently quipped that I was “all over the place.” It’s true. I am drawn to a great many things. Sometimes ideas take hold and other times I’m too distracted to pursue them. Those who follow me know I use irrational numbers to hone my understanding of color, to chart patterns and vibrancy within each numerical iteration, each numerical sequence. I love pulling together a palette, applying an algorithm and examining how the colors change according to what the adjacent color is. Colors shift according to who they are adjacent to—just like people. Some people raise a vibration and others dull it. This is my latest study — Spectrum—executed with the plain but hard working colored pencil on Twinrocker paper. Much bigger work on the way.

Dec 24

We are getting ready for a long winter's nap after our Christmas Eve feast. Love to the loyal and engaged audience on this page! We thank you and your enthusiasm feeds our endeavors.🎄🎄🎄#holidaygifts #smallbiz #merrychrismas #interiorstyling #christmaseve #christmastree #christmasdecor #christmaswreath #homefortheholidays #tistheseason #holidaytraditions #christmasdecor #solstice #holidaydecor #interiordecor #familytradition #amaryliss #amarylissbulb #growyourown #whitechristmas #colorcrush #tistheseason #wintersolstice #colorred #christmasflowers #holidaydecorating #holidayseason #yuletide #holidayjoy #artistshome

Dec 20