Gwen Cates

Gwen Cates lives on Whiskey Ridge Farm near Charlottesville, Virginia where she works in her art studio. The Rivanna River borders a portion of the farm, and Gwen has painted views of the river in every season on the year. Gwen often works from photographs that she takes from her horse while he stands in the center of the river crossing. Gwen uses oil paints for landscapes and acrylic paints for abstract collage creations.

Gwen describes herself as a contemporary colorist, creating experimental and playful abstract paintings in acrylic, often with collage elements. The images have been inspired and grew out of earlier landscapes and figurative work. Gwen began painting in the 1960s and studied fine art at Virginia Commonwealth University and later at Hollins University where she graduated with honors. She has had art exhibits in Britain, Italy and the United States.

In a recent solo art exhibit in downtown Los Angeles, "Cosmic Adventures," the paintings take us on a journey between worlds. We are invited to leap into other dimensions and explore a mytho-poetic adventure. Traveling deeply into her subconscious and the world of dreams, Gwen Cates reveals fantasies from her imagination. She creates archetypal images and incorporates winged figures, horses and other animals into her compositions. Swatches of fabric, lace, gold leaf and lichen from oak trees are some of the elements that are included in the paintings. From black holes to new stars, nature collages and horses jumping through astral planes of existence, Gwen Cates never fails to astonish!