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FROM THE OUTSIDE IN
CAT HUSS & MARGARET WATSON
June 13 - July 26, 2024
FROM THE OUTSIDE IN
CAT HUSS & MARGARET WATSON
June 13 - July 26, 2024
Lola Shepard is pleased to present FROM THE OUTSIDE IN, a dual exhibition showcasing recent paintings by contemporary Color Field artists CAT HUSS and MARGARET WATSON.
FROM THE OUTSIDE IN introduces the refined abstraction and rich color spectrum embodied in the paintings of Color Field artists Cat Huss and Margaret Watson. Through their distinct approaches, both artists interpret the natural world as a pathway for self-exploration and imagination, fostering a profound connection with their art practice—a journey from external observation to internal revelation.
Informed by her deep communion with nature, Cat Huss creates meditative compositions that echo her introspective odyssey, with each artwork offering a glimpse into her inner terrain.
CAT HUSS Iceberg, 2024 Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in.
In contrast, Margaret Watson directly channels the vitality of the bucolic surroundings where she resides in Pennsylvania, employing the act of painting to highlight the landscape’s polychromatic grandeur and ever-changing essence.
MARGARET WATSON Cobalt Shortcut, 2023. Acrylic on canvas over panel, 24 x 24 in.
CAT HUSS
Earthling: WOP4, 2024. Acrylic, sea salt, wood, and watercolor paper
on wood panel, 30 x 22 in.
Showcasing her newest series, Earthling, Cat Huss explores the theme of belonging, representing a deeply personal odyssey as she grapples with the concept of identity. From childhood into adulthood, Huss often felt like an outsider or alien, even jesting with friends about being picked up by a "mother ship" to return home.
However, in recent years, her perspective has undergone a transformative shift. By connecting more deeply with nature, Huss has experienced a profound connection to her place in this world, leading to a newfound sense of belonging and a deeper understanding of what it means to be an "earthling."
Self Determination, 2024. Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in.
As stated by Huss:
"The work is a self-portrait, a view of my internal struggles and triumphs which then becomes a shared human experience. After all, what do we have in common if not our own humanity? I consider my work to be a visual statement about looking deeper, beyond the surface in order to truly understand.”
Huss approaches her art with methodical planning, beginning with rough sketches, notes, and thoughtful consideration of color and composition. Once in the studio, she allows the creative process to take over, pouring her thoughts onto the canvas.
Earthling: WOP3, 2024. Acrylic, sea salt, wood, and watercolor paper on wood panel, 30 x 22 in.
Her work often starts with multiple layers of poured paint, resulting in a blend of colors, densities, and vibrancy. As the painting evolves, Huss continues to refine it, adding rough geometric shapes to bring order to the composition.
The Taming, 2024. Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in.
Working primarily with acrylic paint, she incorporates elements such as graphite, paper, and soft pastels to enhance her vision. Describing her approach as "meticulously playful," Huss draws inspiration from a diverse range of sources, maintaining an extensive library of visual ideas.
Earthling: WOP1, 2024. Acrylic, sea salt, wood, and watercolor paper on wood panel, 30 x 22 in.
Her methodology is unique to her sensibility, culminating in a harmonious balance of precise and natural strokes as the painting reaches completion.
Earthling: WOP2, 2024. Acrylic, sea salt, wood, and watercolor paper on wood panel, 30 x 22 in.
Earth Rising, 2024. Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in.
Visually, Huss seeks to create immersive experiences that transcend traditional boundaries of perception. Through her use of prismatic fields of color, her paintings inspire optimism even in the darkest moments.
Huss explains:
“I think art should be a transformative experience.... for the artist and the viewer. I immerse my whole self into the process so that what is ultimately expressed is an honest communication of the concepts I’m exploring at the time through the process, materials, and the final visual result.”
STUDIO WALK-THROUGH with CAT HUSS
MARGARET WATSON
Geranium Acre, 2020. Acrylic and oil on canvas, 24 x 30 in.
Margaret Watson is a painter whose work is rooted in the landscape, challenging traditional notions of perspective and depth through her innovative approach to color and mark-making.
Unfolding within a flat, abstract, and conceptual space, Watson's artwork diverges from the deep, perspectival views typically associated with landscapes.
At the heart of Watson's practice lies a deep engagement with materials and process. Her paintings evolve organically, with each layer of color and mark responding intuitively to the previous one.
Red Shortcut, 2023. Acrylic on canvas over panel, 24 x 24 in.
Embracing the agency of paint and relinquishing control over much of her process, Watson invites the possibility of unexpected relationships and juxtapositions of shape and color to emerge, both surprising herself and enriching the work.
Moonfield, 2021. Acrylic and oil on panel, 24 x 24 in.
Scored Glade, 2020. Acrylic and oil on canvas over panel, 24 x 30 in.
In her "poured paintings," Watson employs a unique array of materials including acrylic paint, oil, walnut ink, stencils, and paint scrapers.
Forgoing traditional brushes, she pours thinned acrylic paint over the canvas or stencil and manipulates it with a large paint scraper, allowing forms to emerge spontaneously.
Gold Shortcut, 2023. Acrylic on canvas over panel, 24 x 24 in.
The rapid drying nature of acrylic paint lends a performative aspect to the process, with each mark building upon the last in a dynamic interplay of color and form.
Lonely Cottage Road, 2020. Acrylic and oil on canvas, 30 x 24 in.
MARGARET WATSON'S "POURED PAINTINGS" PROCESS
Watson describes:
“I am a process painter working with acrylic and oil on canvas and paper. The work proceeds mark by mark, color by color - each line, cut, erasure responding to the previous mark. My challenge is to remain non-judgmental, accepting of chance and trustful of my eye.”
The resulting paintings bear the visible traces of their making—raw edges, drips, pooling, and overlapping layers—inviting viewers to engage with the tactile quality of the work and meditate on its depth.
Featherstone, 2022. Acrylic and oil on canvas over panel, 11 x 14 in.
Watson's body of work celebrate movement and the expressive power of color, capturing the unpredictable nature of pigments and drawing inspiration from the beauty found in nature and everyday moments.
Violet Shortcut, 2023. Acrylic on canvas over panel, 24 x 24 in.
BIOGRAPHY: CAT HUSS
Cat Huss has been a professional artist since 2017. She holds both a B.S. in Advertising and Public Relations and an M.A. in Communication from Drury University in Springfield, MO. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries, virtual exhibitions, and independent fairs across the United States. She has also been written about in several esteemed publications, including Bold Journey magazine, Art Business News, The Bend magazine, Shoutout Atlanta, Voyage ATL, and the Canvas Blog by Saatchi. Notably, one of her paintings recently graced the cover of Elle Décor UK. Huss’s artwork is held in private collections throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan. She currently lives and works in Corpus Christi, TX.
BIOGRAPHY: MARGARET WATSON
Margaret Watson resides and works in New Hope, PA. She holds a B.A. in Design and Fiber Arts from the University of California and an MD from the University of Washington. She has also studied Painting and Drawing at the Gage Academy of Art (Seattle, WA), Painting and Printmaking at Pratt Fine Arts Center (Seattle, WA), an Advanced Painting Workshop with Ed Paschke at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center (Snowmass Village, CO), and Scientific Illustration at the University of Washington (Seattle, WA). Watson has mounted numerous solo and group exhibitions nationally, including ArkWRKD Gallery (Newtown, PA), Muse Gallery (Philadelphia, PA), Gallery I/M/A (Seattle, WA), and Francine Seders Gallery (Seattle, WA), Zürcher Gallery (New York, NY), The Clio Art Fair (New York, NY), Art Show at Phillips’ Mill (New Hope, PA), and Gallery V2 (Seattle, WA), among others. Watson has also participated in several art residencies, including Millay Arts (Austerlitz, NY), Brush Creek Artist Residency (Saratoga, Wyoming), Willapa Bay Artist in Residency (Oysterville, WA), Centrum Artist Residency (Port Townsend, WA), and Vermont Studio Center Residency (Johnson, VT).