New home! New year! New look to the website!! I also consolidated *SOLD* work into the respective categories to limit the need to have to click on sold work to see what was there.

I have also begun working on more commissioned work, which is so great to be able to work with someone on a project, rather than just whatever is occupying my mind at the time.

I hope you'll enjoy the fresher look! Cheers!!

Thank you to my friend Lauren Rose Hofland for your fabulous mentioning of me in the Cedarburg Cultural Center blog! You can read it here.

SOLO EXHIBITION
Beginning today until September 26th I will have eleven pieces of work on display and for sale at the BMO Harris Bank Gallery located at the BMO Harris Bank at N69W5269 Columbia Road, Cedarburg, Wisconsin. I have also been asked to curate this gallery through 2012 featuring artwork from the Cedarburg Artists Guild.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Beginning today I will also be the Artist in Residence at the Cedarburg Cultural Center for the month of August. The Cultural Center is located at W62N546 Washington Avenue, Cedarburg, Wisconsin. My studio hours will be Tuesdays/Thursdays from 10a-3p. I am looking forward to painting and meeting with all the visitors to discuss art.

Stop by if you're in the area!

Opening Tonight! Come see Quantum Entanglement at First Fridays at the Dole Mansion at Lakeside Legacy Arts Park, 401 Country Club Drive, Crystal Lake, Illinois. The NAAC Member's Show from 5-7:30pm tonight with appetizers and bar. I'll be there and hope you will be too!

Come and see Quantum Entanglement being exhibited as part of the Northwest Area Arts Council's Members Show from June 1 until June 26th. The exhibition is being held at the GORGEOUS Lakeside Legacy Arts Park located at 401 Country Club Road in Crystal Lake, Illinois. For directions call 815-455-8000 or visit their website at www.lakesidelegacy.org.

There will be a reception on Friday, June 3rd from 5-7:30pm. Hope to see you there!

My painting titled THIRST sold last evening for $1,500 which was all donated to JDRF for the fundraiser held in Denver, Colorado. The painting was dedicated to my nephew Sean in his honor and I'm so proud of the amount of money it raised. Thank you so much to the person who purchased the painting! To see the painting, go to GALLERY and then SOLD WORK.

FISH and ASPHYXIA I have been chosen by the Cedarburg Artists Guild to be exhibited in the Animal Instincts exhibition from March 1st until May 3rd 2011! The artwork, among other great works, can be seen at the Main Street Gallery located in the Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

I think FISH is a great piece to look at and think SPRING!!!

Today I humbly received the Outstanding Fundraising and Outstanding New Member awards from the American Cancer Society for my work on the Art Gallery for the 2010 Discovery Ball. Together we raised over $19,000 in art donations for the fight against cancer. It was a wonderful breakfast held at the Chicago Club.

I would like to share this award with all the artists who generously contributed their amazing work and I would like to dedicate this award to all the artists who work tirelessly to change the world through their artwork.

What a great honor to represents a great group of artists!!

I wanted to post a heartfelt THANK YOU to all the artists who have made the dream of combing art and generous people together for great causes. The Discovery Ball was a fairy tale event. The gallery was glorious and the attendees were thrilled at how great it looked this year. While all of the artwork didn't sell, I know the rest of it will surely be bought up at the ACS Skyline Soiree this summer. You can find more information on that at Skyline. I am looking forward to putting this together again next year and hope to include some 3D artwork as well....but I could not have accomplished such a life changing event without the extremely talented artists who I cannot say enough great things about. Each one is heroic to me.

I would also like to thank the ten artists from Water Street Studios in Batavia, IL for their generous agreement to participate in the TriCity Family Services Art of Giving event last Friday. We had well over 100 people attend the wine tasting and art sale, which was amazing considering it was the first annual occurrence. I was even interviewed in the Daily Herald newspaper for this event. If you'd like, you can read it here. We sold some of the artwork and I'm looking forward to helping TCFS make this event bigger and better next year! If you're a local artist and would like to participate....please email me and let me know! 30% of the art sale proceeds are donated back to TCFS for the counseling services they provide.

It is just coming upon a year since graduation. If you'd have foretold me what this year would bring to me, I would have never believed you. I have been given amazing opportunities this past year which have allowed me to exercise my skills artistically and professionally. This has resulted in a clear image of the direction that I would like to proceed.

So...thank you to anyone who has befriended me, agreed to work with me for something greater than us, for anyone who has opened a door for me, and thank you especially to all who encourage and inspire me. Stay tuned for whatever comes next!!

Chicago Art Open
I have been selected to exhibit Discovery at this year's Chicago Art Open held at the River East Art Center located at 435 E. Illinois Street, Chicago, IL. Artist Reception/Opening is being held April 24th from 12-4pm and the exhbition runs until May 7th. I hope you'll come see me and the other 349 amazing artists in attendance! This is the 12th annual Chicago Art Open and it coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Chicago Artist's Coalition.

Discovery Ball artwork on display! All the incredible artwork that has been donated for auction to the American Cancer Society's Discovery Ball is going to be exhibited before the event! The information is as follows:

April 3 - April 21, 2010
Opening reception with artists - Saturday April 3rd - 5-7pm
Simply Chicago Art
1318 Oakton Street (@Asbury)
Evanston, IL 60202
www.simplychicagoart.com

Come see the artwork before it's sold or if you're attending the event, come see the artwork before you place your generous bids! We have artwork by Catie Barron (me), Patricia Beauchamp, Ling Chun, Nancy Desmond, Nancy Eckels, Joan Fabian, Cheri Fakes, Hank Feeley (courtesy of Aron Packer), Andrea Harris, Tracy Jones, Sandra Mehl, Marita Avio-Sanchez, Elizabeth Sanderson, Joyce Speechley, Michelle Thomas, and Sam Tolia. Hope to see you there!

Today is a special day! This evening at 6:30pm my "Stages" painting that is being donated to the American Cancer Society's Discovery Ball for auction will be featured at ACS's Tiffany Press Event. The event is from 6:30-8:30 pm tonight at the Tiffany & Co. store located at 730 N. Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. Please come out, support my artwork, purchase something from Tiffany's with 10% of the proceeds going to Cancer, and support the American Cancer Society! Thank you!!

2010 American Cancer Society's Discovery Ball
Well, the jury took place at the beginning of this year and the work is due by the end of the week. What an amazing collection of artwork we have. I am establishing a gallery on the site to show images of the work. Sharilee Smentek, Vice President of the Associate Board of Ambassadors for the event, commented "Catie, you put together an impressive slide show of art work for us to consider and I truly believe that your own talent and the talents of the other artists will make the ACS a lot of money at the Discovery Ball this year. Thank you for donating your time and your efforts to this cause that is clearly so near and dear to our hearts." What an amazing testament to the artists, their talents, and their passion to make a difference!

Listed below are the artists and links to their websites. It is my hope that you will visit their sites and support their awespiring and inspiring work.

Catie Barron (well...you're already on my site..thank you!)
Patricia Beauchamp Website
Ling Chun
Nancy Desmond Website
Nancy Eckels Website
Joan Fabian Website
Cheryl Ann Fakes
Hank Feeley Website
Andrea Harris Website
Tracy Jones Website
Sandra Mehl Website(Sandim)
Marita Sanchez Website
Elizabeth Sanderson Website
Joyce Speechley Website
Michelle M. Thomas

*%If you would like to participate in the 2011 Discovery Ball gallery or would like additional information please contact me through this website or by email at Catarzina. Thank you to all the partcipating artists for your contributions and thank you personally for helping me make the most of this amazing opportunity I was given by my friend Lisa Weier.

Ah...finally I have information for the artists regarding the American Cancer Society's Discovery Ball artwork donation submission!!

First, I just wanted to again thank you so much for your willingness to participate in this event and trust me when I tell you that everyone at ACS is amazed by the fact that we have 15 artists who are involved! I have included two attachments for your review. The first one is Gallery Requirements with regards to the selection process, oportunities, and content restrictions. The second one is the Discovery Ball Auction Packet including the Board of Directors, sponsorship information, and a auction donation form which will need to be completed by you when we make the arrangements to get your work to ACS.

We have artists who desire to submit work that is particularly relevent to cancer and we have artists who would like to donate their work for the event to help make a difference whether in the name of someone or just because they care. Each and every generous reason is fabulous. During the meeting with ACS we also determined that it's of the utmost importance to make a connection between the artist and their work. We are arranging to have the work in a lounge/gallery area where people will be gathering and socializing while viewing your work. That being said we'd like to request the following:

Please email to me at CatieBarron the following:

1. Your artist statement. If you have a connection to cancer please include it in this statement. We are hoping to make a collage or post the statements near the work so please keep it brief and perhaps between 300-500 words.

2. Your resume.

3. ACS would like 3 images of your work to view. They don't have to all be work you're willing to donate (only one piece per artist is desired), but it would provide a better picture of the type of work you are doing. The works should all relate to the piece you're donating and please indicate in the email which piece is the one to be donated. Please provide a listing in the email of the artwork, providing the name of the piece, materials included in the piece, and the size of the finished work. If you could make the images approximately 4" x 6" that would be great and easier for the jury as we are doing it electronically.

The submissions are due by December 15th and will be juried by ACS and myself by January 6th. I am hoping to have all the work delivered and collected by January 22nd in hopes of having it exhibited prior to the event. If your work is going to be inspired by the event but not ready until after the jury process, please (along with other samples of work) provide you sketch(es) of the work you're going to do.
If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. This information will also be posted up on my website at Catarzina and on my blog at Canvassing Catarzina.

Again, thank you so much for sharing your artistic voice to make a difference! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, I know I have so much to be thankful for, like all of you.

I will be showing and selling some of my small works at the Fine Arts Building - Open Studio Event on Friday, December 4th from 6-9pm. I will be showing in Ledesma Studios located in Studio #609 at 410 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL. I hope you will come and see my work and the work of many artists as all the studios will be open to the public. We are expecting a lot of people to show up...hope to see you there!

Canvassing Catarzina....
I am still blogging about art things and exhibitions and resources and history. There is a blog tab on my front page that will take you there. This past couple of weeks I have been writing about the 90th anniversary of the infamous Bauhaus in Germany. It was such a basis of what I was originally informed regarding art as a child and in high school. When I thought of becoming a teacher I focused on pedagogy as a method of teaching. But in the later year or so I discovered that there was much more about Bauhaus that I wasn't familiar with. I am hoping to write about it until the end of the year, at least until something pops up that I just NEED to write about. So....check it out!

I have been given an amazing opportunity to curate a silent auction of donated artwork at the 4th annual American Cancer Society's Discovery Ball to be held in April at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago.

Over the last 3 years the event has grown to over 1100 attendees in 2009, raising more than $2 million dollars in one evening to aid in the elimination of cancer. I would like to ask everyone who is a cancer survivor or friend of a cancer survivor or family member of a cancer survivor or anyone who has lost a loved one to this awful disease...to either donate a piece of work if you're an artist or let me know if you know of any other artists who may be willing to do so. Being a cancer survivor myself, I donate artwork each year for this event and had the time of my life attending last April. Last year's ball was emceed by Maria Bartiromo and we were entertained by Natalie Cole. The ball was chaired by amazing, strong, giving, and caring Chicago business leaders such as Glen Tilton of United Airlines, Mike McGrath of the McGrath auto groups, and Kim Duchossois who give their time, money, and talents to fight cancer. For more information you can go to www.discoveryball.org.

There is an opportunity to place your business cards and postcards near the work. It's a wonderful way to have your artwork seen by a bevy of art collectors displayed in the Lyric Opera House. I could sure use your help. Please email me at catarzina@sbcglobal.net if you have any questions or are willing to participate. Thank you for helping me in this very important cause for me and so many others. You won't be disappointed.

Come one - come all! Northern Illinois Foodbank is hosting The Art of Giving which is a fundraising event in which artists, like me, exhibit and sell their work with a percentage of the proceeds going to feed the hungry people of northern Illinois. The event is being held at the fabulous Cantigny Gardens in Wheaton, IL on Thursday, September 17th from 6:30-9pm at the Les Jardin restaurant in the new Visitor's Center. Tickets are $75 each and can be purchased through my friend, Shannon, at 630-443-6910 or by emailing Shannon.

I used to work for this very worthy organization. Especially in financial times like these, they really need everyone's assistance. So...come buy some great artwork, help those who need it and take a tax deduction! I will be exhibiting Cicero, Calla Lillies 406 (framed giclee), and Denver Iris (framed giclee).

What a blast!! Friday's gallery exhibition in Libertyville was the best one yet! We were entertained by the Sheryl & Tom band and they rocked! Sheryl was out on the sidewalk dancing with Hubie the Harris lion and people were flooding in for great artwork and wine tastings. Thank you to Sheryl & Tom and their fellow band members for a wonderfully musical time. Thank you also to Hubie who tirelessly ran up and down Milwaukee Avenue bringing people to the gallery.

However I need to talk about the stars of the evening...the artists. John H. Kirkpatrick, Jr., Beatriz Ledesma, Tracy Jones, Earl Burnidge, Joyce Speechley, Nancy Desmond, Michele Cadwell, and George Stevens provided work that was as deep and personal as it was whimsicle. Everyone reading this should look up these people (if they have websites they are on my link page) and buy their work NOW while you can. This group of artists are so talented and share a willingness to explain their work which only adds to its fabulousness. THANK YOU to them for participating. Personally I had a fabulous time this month in selling 2 paintings...thank you Mike and Anthony for supporting my work.

Not sure where this all leads to right now but, after reviewing what worked and what didn't, I know the next thing will be bigger and better. I have learned that I love bringing artists together in a common event. I fed off all their perspectives and energy in their artwork. I can't wait to make my next move...stay tuned!

Wet Walls of Chicago is hosting it's last exhibition in Libertyville this coming Thursday, September 3rd from 7am-6pm and Friday, September 4th from 10am-9pm.. We will be exhibiting the work of: Catie Barron, George Stevens, Earl Burnidge, Joyce Speechley, Beatriz Ledesma, John H. Kirkpatrick, Jr., Michele Colice-Cadwell, Tracy Jones, and Nancy Desmond. Not only will we be featuring great forward thinking artwork but we will also have live music by the "Sheryl and Tom" band along with wine tasting on Friday from 6-9pm. The gallery space is located at 348 N. Milwaukee Avenue in downtown Libertyville, Illinois. Come check it out!

Well, the work is up and looks fabulous! Of course I'm a tad partial, but really with the dull chartreuse color of the wine boutique's walls, the work sparkles. The Noble Grape's owner, Alex, has agreed to hold a Wine Tasting / Art Opening this Friday, August 21st from 7-9pm. The Noble Grape is located at 802 N. Bishop, Chicago (off of Chicago Avenue between the Kennedy and Ashland). A map of the location can be found by clicking here.*

Hope to see everyone there!

I will be exhibiting artwork at a great new wine shop in the West Town district of Chicago called The Noble Grape located at 802 N. Bishop Street, Chicago. It is owned and operated by Alex Basich.

According to their website...The Noble Grape is "...a hip, boutique wine shop in a casual, comfortable setting with moderate prices and a unique wine selection that appeals to the smart, eclectic consumer from its neighborhood, Noble Square in the West Town district.

The Noble Grape’s “sophisticated, approachable wine ” philosophy and “service first” approach meet the needs of its customers.

My work will be exhibited and for sale beginning Sunday, August 9th. So stop in, buy some wine, take advantage of their many events, and check out my artwork for sale!

Wet Walls of Chicago announces artists for August 7th exhibition back at 348 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Libertyville, IL. August will feature the following artists:
Brian James Bartlett - figurative paintings/drawings
Amanda Repo Taiwo Thomson - prints
Natalie Dirks - montage prints / jewelry
Catie Barron - botanical inspired abstracts

Exhibition will be from 5-9pm in celebration of Libertyville's First Fridays hosted by MainStreet. For further information on the artists, please visit my "Links to Friends" page.

July 27, 2009
For Immediate Release
Emerging Artists Create Their Own Opportunity

(Libertyville, IL) - Suburban Chicago Artist Catie Barron will exhibit a new collection of artwork from emerging artists for one night only. On August 7th from 5-9pm Wet Walls of Chicago will open at 348 N. MIlwaukee Avenue in Libertyville to participate in the town's First Friday summer celebration. Call 630-707-1829 or visit www.catarzina.com for more information.

Artist Catie Barron is a recent graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work has been collected across the country and has been donated for charitable causes such as the American Cancer Society's Discovery Ball and Northern Illinois Foodbank's The Art of Giving. Her recent graduation has made her keenly aware of the challenges living in the suburbs poses to emerging artists as well as
exhibition opportunities available, therefore she has launched a new exhibition venture. Wet Walls of Chicago focuses on providing support and opportunities for artists while bringing progressive artwork to
the public.

Photos available upon request.

Thank you to everyone who came out last Friday for our first Wet Walls of Chicago exhibition. It was a smash! We had great traffic from people, wonderful honest feedback on the work and the space, as well as a special treat by Adi & Alejandro and their guitars. We look forward to our next exhibition on August 7th from 5-9pm. So...stop on back to see what's new...new artists...new work! 348 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Libertyville, IL

We will be having LIVE classical guitar music at the Wet Walls of Chicago gallery opening this coming Friday, July 10th. Performing on their guitars is 10 year old Adi Tanjore and 11 year Alejandro Pereda and we couldn't be more excited. They come to us very well recommended by MJ Seiler of Century21 Kreuser & Seiler, Ltd. Adi and Alejandro's performance will begin at 7pm. I hope you will come and enjoy their music!

Come see the launching of my new venture Wet Walls of Chicago. We will be exhibiting the artwork of Natlie Dirks, Nancy Desmond and myself at 348 N. Milwaukee Avenue in downtown Libertyville from 6-9pm Friday night July 10th.

This new idea is called "Wet Walls of Chicago" because work will be exhibited for 30 days or less in various locations, providing more opportunities to new and established artists. It pairs my art degree with my years of business experience allowing my passion for showcasing provacative artwork and artists to happen!

Harris Bank Libertyville has generously offered the use of their vacant retail space to sponsor our first gallery exhibition for one night only in July, August, and Septmeber! All of Libertyville's businesses will be abuzz with traffic during their extended hours.

Pass the word and stop on by! If you are an artist and would like to have your work included in this exciting enterprise, email me at catarzina@sbcglobal.net. Check back later to see who we've got for August! We have also booked the Sheryl and Tom Duet to perform a jam session in September!