My art is purely decorative. It’s about pleasure, and having fun. I take inspiration from everyday beauty. I like to create pieces that draw you in. They may appear simple at first glance but are in fact more complex as you observe them further.
My name is Catherine Détraves and I was born and raised in Paris, France. I emigrated to the US at the age of 21 and now reside in Los Angeles. I am self-taught and began my artistic journey by exploring forms through repeating patterns as large ink-on-paper doodles. My art, in those days, consisted mostly of lines and circles, black and white, stark organic shapes, and infinite patterns. Today, I mostly work with acrylic on canvas.
My artistic vision focuses primarily on the interplay of geometrical elements, which may, at first sight, seem more like a search for the perfect combination of colorful solid geometrical bodies, and ultimately acquires an altogether different visual vitality. Navigating contrasts and tensions between restraint and chaos, I aim to create depth and movement by playing with repetitive shapes. I am interested in the discipline of lines against an exuberance of color, and in how the crispness of lines needs to be blurred or dirtied with color.
My studio is located in Gardena, California.
My painting Beneath The Surface was recently acquired for a gift to the Charles library at Temple University, in Philadelphia.
