Art Almanac: In the studio with NAS alumna Catherine O’Donnell
Article by: Jaimi Wright. Photo: Catherine O’Donnell, Urban Perspective, Large window, 2018, charcoal on paper, 100.7 × 135.5cm unframed. Courtesy the artist, Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney and Orange Regional Gallery, New South Wales
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you?
Currently, because I am working towards two exhibitions, I get up and get into the studio about 9am and probably finish around 4 or 5pm, with a very quick lunch in between. That is the case pretty much five days a week with a little extra on the weekend, so I spend as much time as I can in the studio at the moment. My studio is in my home. It’s in my garage off the side of my house, so I do have the luxury of being in my home if I want to, rather than travel somewhere to do my work.
Artistically, what draws you to architectural vernacular?
In particular, I love geometry, and the way the configuration fibrobeading and fibro sheets in fibro (low income) housing, in my eyes, makes abstract forms. The overall embedded primary and geometric shapes in these dwellings are really what captures my imagination.