Cat Spilman

The raw and cathartic creative process allows Spilman to discover a lot about herself both, as a person and an artist. Each works helps to understand her emotions and feeling better, becoming an exceptional result of self-exploration; an abstract self-portrait.

Learning from her young daughter and the unabashed freedoms children possess, Cat Spilman is interested in creating works that consist of pure creativity and energy, beyond self-criticism. Casting aside what is expected of her as an artist, she follows the natural energy of each piece to create something completely unique.

Her latest exhibition title, Yes, And Other Things refers to the responses and reactions Spilman receives through discussion about her works when the viewer attempts to justify the abstract patterns. In contrast to the perceptions of the audience, compelled with desire to categorise and label, Spilman attempts to move away from these categories into something purely emotional and expressive.  These large-scale canvases, specifically incorporated in the artist’s latest series, have given her to opportunity to throw herself into the bold abstract movements, creating and enjoying the process it provides.  She asks the viewer to consume the created work similarly – through emotional comprehension, in the moment.

Cat Spilman was born in New York, USA and received a BFA with honours from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. After working for eight years as a Scenic Artist for film and television in her hometown, she decided to move to England, where she settled to live and work as an artist in her studio in York.