Meet Catherine Tirr

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Catherine Tirr. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Catherine, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?

Creative enterprises are often punctuated by quiet, sometimes frustrating times of inactivity. I have always been envious of portrait painters like Lucien Freud, as he always had sitters lined up and was never in a position of questioning what to say next. I think it is important to have your work reflect the time you are living in. It is not easy to express yourself in unique and meaningful ways. Sometimes ideas are very abundant and at other times I do find myself in a bit of a void. It is often after I have completed a body of work. Feeling satisfied with having explored a theme to its logical conclusion, I can be truly stymied by the next steps. History is somewhat cyclical and therefore I find myself looking back in order to go forward. I will attend galleries and museums and browse through art books to stimulate ideas. The most reliable method of overcoming creative blocks is to play. Playing with materials can lead to interesting, new approaches. I find my best inspiration while hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, or strolling on the beach. There is no better way of clearing your head. While concentrating on something physical, ideas flow more freely. To force something into being can result in work that is very contrived. It is better to take a break and not to get too worked up about the process. My energy lately has been focussed on environmental concerns. There is no shortage of material to draw from.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I have been in the art education field for over 25 years. Prior to that I was painting, designing and fabricating sets for the film and television industry. Now I am focussed on my own painting practice, while I continue to train and support others in their endeavors. I feel so fortunate to have found a way to combine my interests and to support myself at the same time. I lead a variety of painting retreats throughout the year. These are painting immersion weekends in locations such as Death Valley in the winter and Carmel By-The-Sea in Summer. These workshops are extremely fulfilling, as they are always set in the most beautiful environments. I am conscious of the quiet remoteness so that all participants can enjoy the meditative aspect of the experience. I am excited to share the beauty and to help people to find new ways of seeing the world around them. I am devoted to guiding people toward finding their own voice, while expressing themselves and interpreting what they see. I have a series of painting workshops scheduled for 2024, September 20-23 in Morro Bay, California. October 18-21 in Cambria and November 8-11, in Joshua Tree. Details will be provided, if anyone is interested in participating. My demonstrations will be in watercolor, however, all materials are welcome. People of all levels of ability and experience are also encouraged to participate. In October, I am looking forward to participating in The Topanga Open Studio Tour.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I was fortunate to have been raised by artists. My father was a painter and my mother a photographer. I was constantly presented with new visual material. I believe this helped me unconsciously to develop my own voice and design skills. As an instructor it is a constant learning curve. I accepted many positions that I was qualified for on paper, but really had a lot to learn before passing on the information. I would say, when opportunities to grow present themselves, seize the moment. Confidence develops with practice and being open to the experience is key.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I believe it is better to focus on strengthening your skills in one area. As I mentioned earlier, I had worked in the film industry, I also was sidetracked for a while collaborating with fashion designers. While this was all very exciting and fun, I feel that my career as a painter suffered. Promotion is such an important part of the art business. If I had not been distracted with other activities I could have spent more time developing my “brand”. I believe that it would have been more constructive to stay true to my studio practice.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://catherinetirr.com
• Instagram: catherinetirrstudio
• Other: email is [email protected]

Image Credits

Catherine Tirr