Biography

bio

Catherine Coulson is a painter, writer and photographer living in Dumfries and Galloway. She graduated with BA Hons in Television & Video Production at Bournemouth University (1997-2000) and studied oil painting specialisms at Norfolk Painting School (20013-14).

Solo exhibitions include: ‘Surface’, The Briggait, Glasgow (2022), ‘Modern Wilderness’, Caerlaverock Gallery, Caerlaverock (2019), ‘From Galloway’, Bourne Hall Gallery, Surrey (2018) and ‘Summer Exhibition’, The Drawing Room, Rockcliffe (2018). Group exhibitions include ‘Dumfries and Galloway Fine Arts Society Summer Exhibition’ (Gracefield Arts Center, Dumfries 2023), ’10 Years On’ (Kirkcudbright Galleries, Kirkcudbright 2021), ‘Looking In’ (The Whitehouse Gallery, Kirkcudbright 2020) and ’Place’ (Ottersburn Gallery, Dumfries 2018). Her photograph ‘Fire & Ice’ was selected for ‘The People’s Parliament’, (The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh 2017) and her field poetry book ‘Low Lands’ was printed in 2018.

Catherine has formed an environmentally conscious and sustainable practice, using specialist paints, mediums and materials and develops methods to protect the sensitive environments she works in. In 2023 she became a director of Upland Arts Development CIC and in 2024 she was appointed as their Environmental Champion. She is a supporter of Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere and she is pleased to be involved with the Creatives and Sustainability Group, a collaboration between GSA UNESCO Biosphere and D&G artists’ collective Upland CIC.

As an ‘ecological’ or ‘environmental’ artist, she is interested in the role nature reserves and protected areas play in the survival and regeneration of ecosystems and biodiversity, and contemplates both our stewardship role towards remaining semi-wild pockets of land and how these places can benefit people. 

Areas of study include the ecopsychological effects of being in nature, and how ecocentric environments influence human emotional connection and relationship with nature. She also considers Japanese aesthetic concepts and philosophy particularly suited to the study of nature; in brief, mujō (impermanence), mono no aware (an awareness of transcience), wabi (simple beauty, emptiness and imperfection), sabi (patina) and yūgen (unseen depth).

A member of Upland and regular participant of Spring Fling Open Studios, she explains her process and shares ideas with the public, encouraging people to experience, appreciate and celebrate the environment. Her work aims to stimulate interest and engage people to approach being in nature in different creative ways.

Alongside painting, she takes part in citizen science projects including surveying bat populations, recording shark egg cases and re-planting verges with native wildflowers. She has enjoyed being invited to initiatives such as The Big Art Project where she worked with local school children to create a body of nature-focused work for Kirkcudbright Galleries; having work selected to represent Scotland’s coastal and wild spaces at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh and exhibiting at Caerlaverock Wetlands Centre for the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

2014
NORFOLK PAINTING SCHOOL | Specialist oil painting and mentoring with internationally recognised artist Martin Kinnear:
Specialisms and technical workshops: Towards Abstraction & Expressive Oils.

2013
NORFOLK PAINTING SCHOOL | Simply Oils Foundation course.

1997-2000
BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY, Centre for Excellence in Media Practice in the UK.
BA Hons Television & Video Production. (Film/Video and Photographic Arts/Visual Arts).

Specialisms: Cinematography (camera & lighting), directing & scriptwriting.

 

2023 Selection of work available for sale at Gracefield Arts Centre Craft Shop, 28 Edinburgh Road, Dumfries DG1 1JQ. Tues – Fri 10.30am – 3.30pm. Sat – 10am – 5pm.

2024 2. Aug – 5. Aug 2024. Exhibiting with Alistair Hamilton, Alison Corfield and Caroline Hone @ 17 Castle Street, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4JA.

2023 1. July – 5. Aug 2023. Dumfries & Galloway Fine Arts Society Summer Exhibition. Gracefield Arts Centre, 28 Edinburgh Road, Dumfries DG1 1JQ.

2022 Kirkcudbright Art & Crafts Trail 29. July – 1.August.

2022 Spring Fling. 2. – 5. June.

2022 Borders Art Fair. 25. March – 27. March. 

2022 ‘Surface’ The Briggait. 8. – 28. Feb. 141 Bridgegate, Glasgow G1 5HZ. 

2021-22 South Block Shop17. November – 16. January South Block, 60-64 Osborne Street, Glasgow G1 5QH.

2021 10 Years On 10. July – 28. November. Exhibition of Wasps Kirkcudbright Artists. Mitchell Gallery, Kirkcudbright Galleries, St. Mary Street, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries & Galloway, DG6 4AA.

2021 Wasps Kirkcudbright Artists 10 Years On Digital Exhibition. 10. July – 31. August 2021 Digital Opening 9. July gallery.wasps.scot 

2020 Hundred & Under 23. November – 18.December 2020

2020 Looking In 5. -12. October 2020. The Whitehouse Gallery, 47 St Mary Street, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4DU.

2020 Spring Fling Rescheduled 5. – 12. October 2020Purple Route Studio 29. Online event. Online brochurestudio information.

2020 A Postcard from D&G 24. August – 6. September. 

2020 SF | At Home 18. – 25. May. Online event.

2019 THE BIG ART PROJECT 5th-6th October, Kirkcudbright Galleries, St. Mary Street, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries & Galloway, DG6 4AA.

2019 RESERVE, Solo Permanent Exhibition, Mr Pook’s Kitchen, 38 King St, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway, DG7 1AD.

2019 MODERN WILDERNESS, Solo Exhibition, 28th July-14th September, Caerlaverock Gallery, The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Caerlaverock Wetland Centre, Eastpark Farm, Caerlaverock, Dumfriesshire, DG1 4RS.

2019 SPRING FLING, 25th-27th May, Orange Route, Studio 54. Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland.

2019 FROM GALLOWAY, solo exhibition, 12th-17th November 2018, Bourne Hall Gallery, Spring Street, Ewell, Surrey, KT17 1UF.

2018 SUMMER SOLO EXHIBITION, The Drawing Room, Barons Craig Hotel, Rockcliffe, DG5 4QF, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland.

2018 SPRING FLING, 26-28th May, Orange Route, Studio 48. Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland.

2018 PLACE, 17th April-7th May, Ottersburn Gallery. Dumfries.

2017 SEEING SCOTLAND ‘The People’s Parliament’ permanent exhibition, Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh.

2016 EARTH AND CLAY, 6th Jul-3rd Aug, Willoughby Trust Gallery, Corby Glen. Lincs.

2015 Long Eaton Art Room Open Studio Summer Exhibition, Long Eaton, Nottingham.

2014 Aslackby Art Festival and Open Gardens, Aslackby, Lincolnshire.

2023-present

Director of Upland Board 2023-present

2023-present

Dumfries and Galloway Fine Arts Society Membership

2022-present

Peer Crit Group Membership

2020-2022

Wasps Studios Tenancy

2017-present
Upland Professional Membership

2014-present
A-n The Artists Information Company Membership

2024

-DeVos Institute; (online 6 week course) The Cycle: Management of Successful Arts and Cultural Organizations.
-Joined Clonyard drawing group with Yuliya Lennon.
-Attended Circular Arts Network (CAN) session, online 20th March.
-Appointed as Environmental Champion of Upland Arts Development CIC Board on 28th Feb.
-Participated in Circular Economy and Waste session with Lauren Doyle from SOSE (Circular Economy Adviser). Samphire Gallery, 148 King St, Castle Douglas, 14th March.

-Mentoring Training with Sleeping Giants, online, 26th Jan.

-Attended Creatives and Sustainability Groups, hosted by GSA UNESCO Biosphere and Upland Arts Development CIC.

2023

-Appointed as a Director of Upland Arts Development CIC.

-Attended Creatives and Sustainability Groups, hosted by GSA UNESCO Biosphere and Upland Arts Development CIC, exploring and gathering feedback about sustainability in artistic vision and enterprise, and the value of the UNESCO Biosphere to creative businesses.

-Jenny Nelson online artist talk and ‘grayscale collage’ exploring abstraction lesson.

-The Design Trust online; Wheel of Business visual planning workshop.

2022

-Participated in meeting of GSA Biosphere and Kirkcudbright Creatives, leading to collaboration with Upland Arts Development CIC.

-Joined Kirkcudbright Peer Crit Art Group with Alison Corfield, Alistair Hamilton, Caroline Hone, Laura Derby, Lizzie Farey, Patti Leino.

-Accepted as supporter of Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere for sustainable practice.

-WASPS studios tenancy, Kirkcudbright.

-Art consultant for preschool setting in London, website and print design.

2021

-Art consultant for preschool setting in London, website and print design. 2021-2022

-WASPS studios tenancy, Kirkcudbright.

2020

– Launched virtual studio and online shop on website

-WASPS studios tenancy, Kirkcudbright.
-Open University Literature course; Approaching Poetry.

2019

-Open University Philosophy course; Exploring Philosophy: Faking Nature.

-Visiting Artist, The Big Art Project, Kirkcudbright Primary School.

2018-2019
-Mentoring and fieldwork studies with wildlife artist John Threlfall SWLA.

-Open University History & The Arts course; Art and visual culture: Medieval to modern.

2017
-Photograph ‘Fire & Ice’ selected in competition for permanent onsite exhibition ‘The People’s Parliament’, The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh.

-Attended Life Painting workshop with artist Katharine Wheeler. 

-RSPB volunteer.

2016
-Joined Rockcliffe Art Group & Life Drawing with John Threlfall. 

-Attended Life Drawing workshop with artist Katharine Wheeler.

-Bat Recorder, Southern Scotland Bat Survey, BTO & SNH.

-Egg case recorder, The Shark Trust, Save our Seas Foundation – Citizen science project recording egg cases for data collection.

2015
-Various open studios art and craft fairs and demonstrations.

2014
-Began teaching creative painting, printmaking and drawing workshops (2014-2018)

-Began teaching creative felt making workshops (2014-2016)

-Various open studios art and craft fairs and demonstrations.

2012
-Joined Newton Art Group with artist and potter Barbara Leaning. 

-Joined The End Room Pottery Group with potter and artist Steve Leaning. (both 2012-16)

2011
-Planter and recorder, Life on The Verge, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust – helping local council reach biodiversity targets by surveying and designating, extending and replanting Local Wildlife sites to make corridors for wildflowers, butterflies and moths along roadsides and threatened chalk and limestone grassland.

2010
-Began fibre art apprenticeship; felt making, nuno, eco-dyeing, psychology of art, colour and emotion with textile artist and art therapist Linda Irving (2010-16)

2000-2009
-Freelance photographer and filmmaker/ location camera operator/ sound assistant/ researcher for private clients and companies including BBC Resources Ltd; Tiger Aspect Productions; Tigress Productions for National Geographic; Grenada Co-Operative Nutmeg Association; Renwick Estate Public Gardens; Marwell Zoological Park; Function Photographic Services.

-Creative team, editorial and graphics; Redwood Publishing.

-Film ‘Barcode (5014957046986)’ selected in a competition and purchased for broadcast on ITV (Meridian).

-Film ‘Easternisation’ selected as top marked film for screening at 2000 Pieces BATV Degree Show, De Lane Lea Sound Center, (Warner Bros.) Soho.