Artist Catherine Mc Cue Boes

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.

As a printmaker I find it hard to accept that the only way is to be a purest, that is only use traditional methods and techniques to produce  prints. While trying to support my arts practice, I ventured into the world of digital and large format printing. Making a living from my art  was imposable, so I produced archival prints  for photographers and artists to support my practice .  I was fascinated with, this way of printing, so began my research into the possibilities of mixing traditional printmaking with that of digital. As a student at university  I was introduced to photography and loved it but didn't connect printmaking with the possibility of mixing the two together to produce hybrid prints until later in my career. One hundred and thirty kilometers from Eronmanga, south west of Queensland is a gas plant, where working as an artist in residence I was free to explore the landscape in and around the plant. The 'Steel landscape' is a work that evok...

Catherine Mc Cue  One hundred and thirty kilometres from Eronmanga, south west of Queensland is a gas plant, where working as an artist in residence I was free to explore the landscape in and around the plant.  My main interest was in the visual contamination of the surrounding landscape. The images produced use techniques such as mokulito, ‘wood lithography’, monoprint and digitally altered photography. Steel Landscape depicts the harsh landscape that surrounds the plant, the work focuses on the disused material from the plant, now embedded in the dry earth, which in a way has become an accidental sculptural form.  Steel Landscape Mokulito This one was a little different to the others, I did the same preparation as the others, sand, milk, draw add a little nitric  to the gum, but left the plate a lot longer than usual due to unforeseen circumstances. This work also included the use of mono printing to form the background colour, using a cl...

The Book of Lost soul's Monoprints, No. 11 These segments of a larger mono print appear to have been unsettling to some viewers. Upon entering a works on paper exhibition, it was discovered that the book, which had upset someone, was not displayed and was kept under the table. Only after an initial inquiry was it revealed that the work was not suitable for display. Considering that the work is an artist’s book featuring images, I find it puzzling why it was excluded from the exhibition. While the covers contain some dark elements, none of them pose a threat to viewers. Censorship of art in this particular gallery is uncommon, so it is evident that an individual made the decision that the subject matter was too much for the viewing public. 

Artist: Catherine Mc Cue Boes Australian: Title : Devils Marbles N.T. Publisher: The Red Shoes Press Date: 1991 Leaves: 5 monoprints in color, 8 drawings, pen, 1 hand colored lithograph,  Size: Book size 35 cm x 34 cm  when open Housing: hard cover, brown book cloth with shaped cover Edition: Unique  Printer: The artist. References:  While traveling around Australia in an old converted school bus I had an opportunity to spend a lot of time at the Devils Marbles in the Northern Territory. During that time, I became fascinated by the strange red/orange rock formations and produced a range of monoprints watercolors and drawings.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Artist: Catherine Mc Cue Boes Australian: Title : Red Shoes monoprints Publisher: The Red Shoes Press Date:  Leaves: 8 lose images in B/W with Chine Colle and gold paint Size: Images: 16 x 12cm paper size 33 x 26cm Housing: Hard cover, envelope style folio in red end paper with red book cloth 3 red ties Edition:  Printer: The artist. Typeface: References: 

Artist Books

Artist books, from the Words series, original monoprints with extracts by Bruce Dawe.

Images for Exhibition 2014