Artist Catherine Mc Cue Boes

Early stone lithographs  Titled ‘The Puppets’, I believe I was going through a developmental stage when I created this work. My inspiration came from a simple childhood memory of a mobile string puppet show with fabulous characters and costumes. I found the puppets to be both sad and frightening. Initially, I wanted to become familiar with the lithograph process, allowing the drawing to glide smoothly over the smooth stone. Materials used, included litho crayons, soft and hard, greasy liquid or stick  tusche for washes and pencils.

 Introduction to stone lithography. Titled “Deanne,” this simple image depicts a young woman standing in a doorway. The sun illuminates her lower back as she reflects on her day’s work. This was my initial attempt at stone lithography. I commenced by creating a monochrome print, which served as a reference for this work. I was particularly drawn to the way the crayon glides across the stone, resulting in a limited range of tones.

2026 is a year for thinking back. I’ve been in the arts for a while now, both as an artist and a practitioner. During that time, I’ve made some amazing friends, like Julie. We met in college and both studied printmaking. Over the next four years of full-time study, we shared not only our artwork but also our ideas, letters, and future plans. Sadly, Julie passed away in 2014. Over the coming months, I’m going to go through all our art, letters, thoughts, and ideas to create a record of our time together.

Monoprints “ Sometimes Gladness” a collection of pomes by Australian writer Bruce Dawe, resonates with profound themes. Within his poetic work, “Homecoming” explores the futility of war, specifically the Vietnam War and the return of  the dead Australian and American soldiers. This profound piece deeply moved me, prompting me to create a series of monoprints that visually express my reaction to the poem. My intention was to produce quick and spontaneous artwork without prior drawing or planning. I aimed to create based solely on the poem. Utilising a glass slab, I rolled up lithographic ink, employing brushes and rags to partially remove the black ink, allowing the process to unfold spontaneously. While some prints did not meet my expectations, a few emerged as successful creations. These monoprints were produced some time ago, but given the current state of global events, they could have been conceived and executed this year.

 Mokulito  .  State Prints Having completed a set of prints, two plate mokulito, I decided to review the state prints, single plate mokulito. Influenced by traditional Japanese art, particularly woodblock printing, I introduced gold leaf and acrylic paints to the printed mokulito. The result was pleasing and emphasised the grey printed background, which is common in wood lithograph.

 Sometimes things just happen. In the past, a visit to a friend’s residence and art gallery commenced as usual. We gathered for a morning tea in the small room adjacent to the main gallery. Sue, a fellow artist, arrived, and we settled around the table, engaging in casual conversation and enjoying each other’s company. Our friendship spans a considerable period, and we consider ourselves accomplished artists. Typically, we focus on global events and artistic pursuits. However, on this particular day, we decided to dress up. Christine, renowned for her paintings and 3D sculpture work,  particularly reconstructed dolls imbued with resin and adorned with found objects. Sue, who works with objects, predominantly clay or constructed in boxes immersed in wax, she also creates delicate paintings and drawings in acrylic and wash. Sue is also a writer with an exceptional ability to compose thoughtful words that complement images. One of Christine’s assemblages featured a beautiful ...