Wallflower

I cannot resist a good flea market. I found this piece of vintage Indian wallpaper tucked into a box at a rummage sale. I adapted the design into a watercolor and then developed it further into our signature wallflower pattern motif. Wallflowers are the best kind of blossoms, no?

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

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Oct 13

<img src="https://isacatto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png" alt="I started a new series of mixed media panels this month and just pushed this fledgling out today. TS Eliot’s Four Quartets was my inspiration and I pulled this line for the title “Only through time time is conquered”. I am very aware that TS Eliot has a tarnished legacy because of his anti-semitism but I began reading it again and again looking for clues to a more personal mystery. This poem was printed out and wedged into a book of poetry on my mother’s bedside table when she died. She made notations, most of which didn’t make sense, and had underlined certain passages. For years I’ve puzzled over what drew her to this poem, what she was thinking about as her mind became clouded with the morphine. I have half-baked theories, but that’s it. So I decided to work through this small mystery by creating my own response to the poem. I first read The Four Quartets in high school, along with the Wasteland. I remember none of how it was taught and I suspect he is no longer in any high school curriculum. Does anyone know what poetry is being taught these days?">

I started a new series of mixed media panels this month and just pushed this fledgling out today. TS Eliot’s Four Quartets was my inspiration and I pulled this line for the title “Only through time time is conquered”. I am very aware that TS Eliot has a tarnished legacy because of his anti-semitism but I began reading it again and again looking for clues to a more personal mystery. This poem was printed out and wedged into a book of poetry on my mother’s bedside table when she died. She made notations, most of which didn’t make sense, and had underlined certain passages. For years I’ve puzzled over what drew her to this poem, what she was thinking about as her mind became clouded with the morphine. I have half-baked theories, but that’s it. So I decided to work through this small mystery by creating my own response to the poem. I first read The Four Quartets in high school, along with the Wasteland. I remember none of how it was taught and I suspect he is no longer in any high school curriculum. Does anyone know what poetry is being taught these days?

Sep 7

<img src="https://isacatto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png" alt="Our newish studio wallpaper sets off this mixed media called Monkey Mind. I like putting artwork on wallpaper just like the English eccentrics did, and still do. The mixed media was an attempt to exorcise my monkey mind. What is a monkey mind? According to Diana Raab of Psychology Today: “It’s the part of your brain most connected to the ego, which contends that you can’t do anything right. It’s also the part of you that stifles creativity and prevents you from moving forward with your passions. The monkey mind insists on being heard, and sometimes it takes a lot of self-control to shut it down. It is also the part of your brain that becomes easily distracted, so if you want to get anything done in life, your challenge will be to shut down the monkey mind.” Quieting my own internal monologue is a constant discipline — what works for the hive? If you are interested in the wallpaper please see link in bio. For more on the mixed media just message us — it’s not on our website.">

Our newish studio wallpaper sets off this mixed media called Monkey Mind. I like putting artwork on wallpaper just like the English eccentrics did, and still do. The mixed media was an attempt to exorcise my monkey mind. What is a monkey mind? According to Diana Raab of Psychology Today: “It’s the part of your brain most connected to the ego, which contends that you can’t do anything right. It’s also the part of you that stifles creativity and prevents you from moving forward with your passions. The monkey mind insists on being heard, and sometimes it takes a lot of self-control to shut it down. It is also the part of your brain that becomes easily distracted, so if you want to get anything done in life, your challenge will be to shut down the monkey mind.” Quieting my own internal monologue is a constant discipline — what works for the hive? If you are interested in the wallpaper please see link in bio. For more on the mixed media just message us — it’s not on our website.

Aug 26

<img src="https://isacatto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png" alt="We are in the midst of planning our new designs and we decided to retire wallflower (the sarong I’m wearing) because it doesn’t really repeat well. More patterns coming your way, but feel free to comment on what we should bring back. As for the photo — the talented Caitlin Atkinson took this for Jennifer Jewell’s Under Western Skies and she even got Rose to cooperate for the sitting!">

We are in the midst of planning our new designs and we decided to retire wallflower (the sarong I’m wearing) because it doesn’t really repeat well. More patterns coming your way, but feel free to comment on what we should bring back. As for the photo — the talented Caitlin Atkinson took this for Jennifer Jewell’s Under Western Skies and she even got Rose to cooperate for the sitting!

Aug 23

<img src="https://isacatto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png" alt="Our Pi print edition of 30 is selling out and is a surprise hit at the Farmer’s Market. Here’s the scoop on this print edition: 𝛑 Archival pigments, digital irrational number prints of an original watercolor triptych. 𝛑 Color algorithm painting based on the 1st-78th digits of the irrational number pi. 𝛑 Each print is 9.5″ x 9″. Shop them individually or as a full portfolio as pictured.">

Our Pi print edition of 30 is selling out and is a surprise hit at the Farmer’s Market. Here’s the scoop on this print edition: 𝛑 Archival pigments, digital irrational number prints of an original watercolor triptych.
𝛑 Color algorithm painting based on the 1st-78th digits of the irrational number pi.
𝛑 Each print is 9.5″ x 9″. Shop them individually or as a full portfolio as pictured.

Aug 19

<img src="https://isacatto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png" alt="We will be back at the market this Saturday — this time with less smoke and heat. Our booth is small and we cannot bring all of the showroom in, but are happy to bring anything for pickup. Explore our website for the full offerings from our studio/showroom and let us know!">

We will be back at the market this Saturday — this time with less smoke and heat. Our booth is small and we cannot bring all of the showroom in, but are happy to bring anything for pickup. Explore our website for the full offerings from our studio/showroom and let us know!

Aug 16

<img src="https://isacatto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png" alt="I did not expect this. I did not anticipate that seeing my sister’s posthumous book —The Shimmering Is All There Is—in its sturdy USPS box would bring a whole new wave of grief. She left us nearly seven years ago, and time has warped again to make it feel like yesterday. That said, seeing this superb book lovingly edited by Martin Kohout gave her a bit more immortality, another place in the stars. She was so much to so many, and she was a poet, and a good one, which is no mean feat. Painters can take a few shortcuts and get away with it. Not so with poets— there is no smudging involved with a good poem. We always planned to collaborate on a book or joint show and fuse our work together to celebrate each other’s artistic mediums. That collaboration did not pan out the way we had hoped, but it did pan out. Thanks @mdkohout and @tamu, for getting this collection of essays and poems out for the rest of us and for choosing my painting for the cover. The poem, Compunction, was the inspiration and you can find the full text in stories since I don't have room here! I drew the palette from a morning walk along Lady Bird Lake, where my sister used to row. Naturally, I think this book is worth a place in your bookshelf.">

I did not expect this. I did not anticipate that seeing my sister’s posthumous book —The Shimmering Is All There Is—in its sturdy USPS box would bring a whole new wave of grief. She left us nearly seven years ago, and time has warped again to make it feel like yesterday. That said, seeing this superb book lovingly edited by Martin Kohout gave her a bit more immortality, another place in the stars. She was so much to so many, and she was a poet, and a good one, which is no mean feat.
Painters can take a few shortcuts and get away with it. Not so with poets— there is no smudging involved with a good poem. We always planned to collaborate on a book or joint show and fuse our work together to celebrate each other’s artistic mediums. That collaboration did not pan out the way we had hoped, but it did pan out. Thanks @mdkohout and @tamu, for getting this collection of essays and poems out for the rest of us and for choosing my painting for the cover. The poem, Compunction, was the inspiration and you can find the full text in stories since I don't have room here! I drew the palette from a morning walk along Lady Bird Lake, where my sister used to row. Naturally, I think this book is worth a place in your bookshelf.