Catherine Gutsche is a full-time abstract artist based in Ottawa, with work held in private collections in Canada, the United States, and Europe. She earned an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from York University in Toronto, and has since devoted herself fully to her studio practice along with a career in Graphic Design.

Catherine’s paintings are rooted in real experiences—what she sees in her surroundings and how those moments resonate emotionally. Working without sketches, she lets memory, intuition, and feeling guide the process. The result is work that suggests a story without being literal, capturing a deep sense of place through abstraction.

“I’m inspired by nature’s raw beauty—its textures, transformations, and quiet imperfections. Whether it’s lichen on stone, rust on metal, or the crumbling surface of brick, these elements speak to me. I don’t replicate them—I respond to them.”

Her layered approach—scratching, lifting, and revealing—builds a visual history on the canvas, inviting viewers to explore both the seen and the felt. Catherine’s work offers a contemplative space, one where emotion and landscape intertwine.