News — Laura Catherwood

Vertical Gallery is very excited to return to the Miami Art Fairs! We will be returning to the AQUA Art Fair this year with an all-star group show featuring: ADi (AU), 2CHOEY (TH), Jake and Josh (US), Steve Seeley (US), Flog (FR), Laura Catherwood (US), Louis (Masai) Michel (UK), Collin van der Sluijs (NL), Sergio Farfán (US), and Blake Jones (US).

VIEW THE SHOW HERE

ADi is an Australian contemporary artist renowned for creating totemic wooden assemblages that explore society's fixation on popular culture, brand recognition, and nostalgia. His distinctive works, often referred to as "false idols" or pop cultural artefacts, reimagine traditional religious iconography, positioning modern cultural symbols as new-age deities in place of the ancient worship of nature and gods. His practice uniquely intersects sculpture and designer toy art, extending into modern interior and object design, offering a fresh take on the cultural artefacts of our time.

2CHOEY is a Bangkok based self-taught artist. With a background is in Urban Architecture, 2CHOEY was an art director in an ad agency. He soon started selling paintings and realized he enjoyed painting more than working in advertising. 2CHOEY’s signature characters, ‘Fingies’, reinterprets pop culture icons within the framework of hands, fists and fingers in his playful and very unique style. Vertical presented his first USA solo show in 2023, and also presented a solo show at the Urban Art Fair in Paris.

Flog discovered a passion for drawing at an early age. He studied graphic design at the Pivaut Nantes school and made it his profession, finding his balance in producing work from illustration to the publishing world. Inspired by graffiti and pop culture, Flog's mixed media technique- aerosol spray, acrylic, and oil on road signs or canvas- reveals precision in the details. Flog’s show with Vertical at SCOPE Miami sold out in 2023. He has also had sold-out shows in Paris, Rome, and Taiwan.

Jake and Josh are a dynamic duo of twin artists who have captivated audiences with their unique blend of creativity and sibling synergy. Their work often explores the intersection of playful storytelling and creative line work, resulting in thought-provoking pieces. Their intricate attention to detail and meticulous craftsmanship invite viewers to immerse themselves in the layers of meaning within each work.

Laura Catherwood is a Chicago-based painter focused on delicately emotive illustration of plants, animals, and quiet creatures. The sense of an intimate, mysterious narrative in her work invites contemplation and extends empathy to the viewer. With soft textures and sensitive gestures, she diagrams our ambiguous feelings toward the natural order of things.

Louis (Masai) Michel is a UK-based painter, sculptor and muralist. He uses his art in the form of murals, paintings and installations as a way to highlight climate change and species equality. The subject or species, is created in the style of a cuddly plush toy, thus highlighting that if one doesn't preserve the existence of the species depicted, only toys and souvenirs will remain. Within the composition of the species are intricate details exploring cultural fabrics, popular culture and elements of conservation. 

Collin van der Sluijs is a renowned painter and illustrator from Maastricht, The Netherlands, where he lives and works. He is widely recognized for his extraordinary dream-like depictions of everyday stories that question our personal pleasures and struggles, as well as society at large. Collin’s exceptional work has been published in magazines and books, and shown in galleries across the world—in The Netherlands, Germany, France, England, Belgium, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, and USA.

Sergio Farfán blends the experiences from his hometown in Peru with the life he’s lived in Chicago to create works that focus on the struggles, dreams, and emotions that people go through in their life. Farfán began to draw as a form of therapy as he struggled through his anxiety. Whatever was troubling him or whenever he just wanted to forget what was going on in the world around him, he found refuge in his art and would draw his favorite cartoon characters he would see on TV.  

Steve Seeley is an artist whose work draws inspiration from a wide range of pop culture sources including superheroes, celebrities, cartoons and comic books. Technically gifted, his artistic practice spans multiple media with a fresh sense of experimentation. His work has been exhibited throughout the US and is held in private collections worldwide.

Blake Jones is a Chicago based artist. Blake’s use of graphic line work and bright color palettes illustrates narratives of complex worlds inhabited by his own iconic characters, objects, and landscapes. Blake’s work has been exhibited in multiple mediums and forms such as print, paintings, gallery exhibitions, sculptures, and murals.

Aqua Art Miami at the Aqua Hotel
1530 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Vertical Gallery Room 107

VIP Preview:
Wednesday, December 4 | 3pm-10pm

Public Hours:
Thursday, December 5 | 12pm - 9pm
Friday, December 6 | 11am - 9pm
Saturday, December 7 | 11am - 9pm
Sunday, December 8 | 11am - 6pm

A collector's preview will be sent out Saturday November 30th. Email us to be added to the preview list. Note: Some works will be available in-person only. If you need a VIP pass for the fair, please email us.

Vertical Gallery, Laura Catherwood follow the trail of ‘All Things Stirring’

Vertical Gallery is very proud to present 'All Things Stirring,' the latest solo exhibition from Chicago-based painter and illustrator Laura Catherwood.

‘All Things Stirring,’ which runs June 7-29 at 2006 W. Chicago Ave. #1R, transports viewers into the heart of the fractured-folklore realm mapped out via Catherwood’s previous Vertical Gallery outings ‘The Book of Yielding’ (2022) and ‘Hearsay’ (2023). Its roughly two-dozen oil paintings and pencil drawings offer an immersive walking tour through an alternate reality where flora, fauna and fantasy collide in unexpected and uncanny ways.

“I want to soothe people through my art, and when I’m feeling distressed in my own life, I take walks. Walking in nature gets you closest to remembering that you’re just one small part of an interconnected world, and that eventually you will be re-absorbed into it. For me, nature is a refuge, and I want ‘All Things Stirring’ to put you there,” Catherwood explains. “‘Book of Yielding’ felt like a book. Those paintings and drawings were meant to resemble nature history diagrams and vintage nature illustrations. These new paintings and illustrations are slightly larger than lifesize, and offer a different perspective, like you’re navigating through tall grass and branches.” 

‘All Things Stirring’ gathers inspiration from Taoism, which emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao, the natural way of the universe. “Taoism is another kind of walk. It translates to ‘the way’ — it’s the route, or the trail,” Catherwood notes. “Taoism is about impermanence and letting go. It was a big inspiration for titling the pieces in the show. The title ‘All Things Stirring’ itself comes from the Tao Te Ching: ‘While all things are stirring together, I only contemplate the return. For flourishing as they do, each of them return to its root.’ The point is that you’re here right now. You’re on the walk. All the things stirring is the experience of life, and you have to enjoy it.”

Catherwood abandoned a career in neuroscience research to pursue a life in art, and after completing her studies at the School of Representational Art and Atelier Eftimov, in 2016 she began exhibiting her work in group shows, producing her first solo exhibition ‘Jalan Jalan’ two years later. In addition to her Vertical solo exhibits, Catherwood has contributed to many of the gallery’s group shows. She has also had a solo showcase in Portland, and shown in exhibitions in Miami, Philadelphia, Portsmouth and New Zealand.

Laura Catherwood
'All Things Stirring'
June 7 - 29, 2024
Opening reception: Friday, June 7th, 5:00-8:00pm
Vertical Gallery, 2006 W Chicago Ave #1R

Vertical Gallery is excited to present two special shows celebrating our 10-Year Anniversary! 

Opening first on March 11 at Vertical Project Space:
March 11 - April 16: Vertical Gallery 10-Year Anniversary Show Part 1 at Vertical Project Space featuring: Chris Uphues, Rae Denise (Racheal Scotland), AJ Ainscough, Laura Catherwood, Van Dam One, Goosenek, Melissa Villarreal, Angel Onofre, Matt Zuska and Jordan Ferguson.

Vertical Project Space is located at 2006 W Chicago Ave #1R (entrance in alley off Damen). Open weekends 12-5.

VIEW PART ONE HERE

Opening on April 1 at Vertical Gallery:
April 1 - 29: Vertical Gallery 10-Year Anniversary Show Part 2 at Vertical Gallery featuring: AlexFace, Martin Whatson, Flog, 2CHOEY, Hama Woods, Sergio Farfan, Collin Van Der Sluijs, Mr. Kreme, Mau Mau, and Pipsqueak Was Here!!! 

Vertical Gallery is located at 1016 N Western Ave. Open Tues-Sat 12-6.

Thank you to everyone that has visited and collected work from us over the past 10 years. And special thanks to all of the artists that have shown with us over the past 134 shows! 

Email us at info@verticalgallery.com if you have any questions.

Vertical Gallery is very proud to present ‘Book of Yielding,’ a new solo exhibition from Chicago-based painter and illustrator Laura Catherwood.

‘Book of Yielding,’ which runs from March 12 to April 10 at Vertical Project Space’s West Town location (2006 W. Chicago Ave. #1R; enter via the alley off Damen Ave.), features close to two dozen pencil drawings and oil-painted panels — melancholy, delicately textured portraits that transport viewers to a mysterious and magical reality of Catherwood’s making, where flora, fauna and human feeling coalesce in unexpected and unsettling ways.

The title ‘Book of Yielding’ plays on the dual meaning of the word “yield,” Catherwood says. “A yield can be a fruit you receive, but it can also mean to submit, or to give something up. That summarizes the show: it’s telling you that life is essentially a series of gains and losses. The pieces illustrate that dynamic in a way that’s meant to be comforting — to encourage acceptance.”

‘Book of Yielding’ also embraces the narrative promise of its title. The individual pieces function together much like the elements of a book, Catherwood says.

“The pencil drawings look like the illustrations you might see in a dictionary or encyclopedia, and some of the paintings look like botanical drawings or natural history drawings, but with my illustrative twist,” she explains. “The work is not simply representational, however. These aren’t creatures as they appear in nature. They look like field drawings, but of a more emotional landscape. The overall narrative may seem a little strange and unfamiliar, but it touches something inside people… some buried sadness, or maybe something they’ve never even put words to. I want them to feel comfort — that it’s natural to feel that way.”

Both art and science have exerted enormous influence over Catherwood’s life. As a child, she split her time exploring the prairie preserve near her family’s home and staying indoors drawing, painting and reading, and her lifelong fascination with the natural world inspired her to study molecular and cellular biology at the University of Illinois. “I was intending to go into neuroscience research, and I worked in several labs,” Catherwood says. “Eventually I realized I’d always taken painting for granted, and when I didn’t have time for it any more, it hurt.” So after completing her degree, she decided to pursue a career in art, studying at the School of Representational Art and Atelier Eftimov.

Catherwood began exhibiting her work in group shows in 2016, producing her first solo exhibition ‘Jalan Jalan’ two years later. Her work has since appeared in solo and group settings across Chicago, including the 2021 Vertical group shows ‘Atomic Number 13’ and ‘Water the Plants!’ In addition, Catherwood has exhibited in cities including Minneapolis; Lakewood, Colo.; and Alhambra, Calif.

Laura Catherwood
‘Book of Yielding’
March 12 – April 10, 2022
Opening weekend March 12 & 13, noon-5pm
Vertical Project Space
2006 W. Chicago Ave #1R