Artist focus: Catherine Hyde at Lighthouse Gallery

ARTIST PROFILE

Catherine Hyde

Catherine Hyde follows the life-cycle of the buff-tailed bumblebee at Penzance’s Lighthouse Gallery in her exhibition - The Golden Hours.

Inspired by time spent with nature during lockdown 1.0, Catherine Hyde has based her latest work on the life-cycle of the buff-tailed bumblebee. Using her captivating style of painting, she hopes to encourage people to actively engage with the issue by showcasing bee-friendly plants and herbs, and inspiring us all to creating wildlife havens - even in the smallest of gardens.

The resulting collection, The Golden Hours, will form her biannual solo exhibition at Lighthouse Gallery in Penzance from November 6 to 20, which will also see the launch of her latest book: The Bee and The Sun.

With all the power and erudition of an accomplished visual storyteller, Catherine will take gallery visitors on a journey through the seasons, celebrating the richness of the natural world as we stand on the cusp of the darkest months. The captivating collection of paintings follows the life-cycle of a queen bumblebee as she hibernates through the winter, before emerging in the spring to find nectar and begin the search for a suitable nesting site.

Like the whole of the UK insect population, bumblebees are in drastic decline, a situation which could have dire consequences for both wildlife and people. Catherine is passionate about raising awareness of this issue, and encouraging people to take action by considering bee-friendly planting in their gardens and outdoor spaces.

“I’ve done a lot of research on the decline of pollinators, and it is quite a scary scenario we’re heading for,” she says. “During spring 2020, when life stood still during that first lockdown, I found the natural world louder and more beautiful than ever in the space vacated by human activity. During that time, I began this body of work: my own creative effort to encourage people to engage with the issue.”

The paintings feature in her new book, The Bee and The Sun. Each month of the year is illustrated with a bee in various stages of the cycle as Catherine introduces a plethora of bee-friendly medicinal herbs and plants. It’s great inspiration for gardeners keen to use their green fingers to support the pollinating insect population.

“Some of my earliest memories are of my mother’s garden, a paradise of herbs and flowers and the buzzing of bees and insects,” Catherine recalls. “I find the glorious aromas of freshly picked mint, rosemary and oregano powerfully nostalgic and it fills me with pleasure to gather them now from my own wildflower garden.”

Published by Zephyr, The Bee and The Sun is the companion book to The Hare and The Moon, which follows the phases of the moon and a hare’s journey throughout the 12 months of the year.

Based in Helston, Catherine studied Fine Art Painting at Central School of Art in London, where she began honing her style of atmospheric and symbolic landscape paintings enlivened by flakes of mica and inlaid with gold and copper leaf. She has been nominated four times for The Kate Greenaway Award for illustration in children’s literature, and her paintings can be seen in The Princess’ Blankets by Carol Ann Duffy, and The Snow Angel by Lauren St John.

In Cornwall, Catherine has been represented by the Lighthouse Gallery for over 15 years. First opened in spring 2003, this spacious, light-filled venue on Causewayhead is a veritable art treasure trove, with a reputation for showing some of the finest paintings by contemporary artists inspired by Cornwall and its artistic heritage. A Catherine Hyde show is a hotly anticipated event.

“Catherine’s work has an extremely loyal following and it’s not hard to see why,” says Tracey Spry, gallery co-founder with Christine Weschke. “Her paintings have a special magic – an irresistible allure. We know collectors are eagerly awaiting the arrival of this new body of work.” l The Golden Hours by Catherine Hyde at Lighthouse Gallery, Causewayhead, Penzance from 13th ~ 27th November 2021. Prospective purchasers are advised to join the gallery’s mailing list for updates. Signed copies of The Bee and The Sun will also be available. www.lighthouse-gallery.com.