Cat Tams explores the dialogue between light and colour, and the interplay between volume, form and surface. With a rigour of observational drawing at the core of her pictures, she often uses familiar landscapes or handcrafted objects as a vehicle through which she creates pictures. Ultimately, her work is a negotiation with the complex fibres of the visible world.
By placing subjects in playful relation to one another, Cat reveals a conversation and energy in the spaces between them. She is interested in how these relationships can alter perception, and create a sense of lyricism, motion and narrative. The seemingly inanimate subject of still life, brought to life.
With a background in geography and teaching, and having lived and travelled in many parts of the world, she considers her work a store of time, place and memory – drawing from her experiences and relationships with place and objects. Often, she returns to the same subject, from multiple viewpoints, before arriving at a painting. The process creates a space for reflection and enquiry, and inevitably, what emerges is always a starting point rather than a conclusion.
Cat graduated with a BA (Hons) Painting & Printmaking GSA 2023 and was awarded the Armour Prize for work of distinction by a young artist. She has been involved in numerous group shows throughout Scotland and continues to live and practice in Glasgow. We’re delighted to be featuring her work in our annual highlight Best Of Scottish Art Schools Grad Show 2023.
