Color is the primary catalyst for Cathleen Daley’s oil paintings and works on paper. Inspired by its relational nature and fugitive temporality, Daley’s paintings explore a personal approach to abstraction as well as a continuing interest in the formal qualities of color, color temperature, shape and edge. From a candy wrapper to a passing cloud, any one of a number of visual cues can instigate a painting, ­yet ultimately Daley’s engagement yields to the liberty of the materials and the singular necessity of each piece. Her work is invested with a deliberate consideration of the elements of painting and history – from physical properties and process to the rich lineage of abstraction, and extending its contemporary relevance.

Education

2007
MFA, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA
1979
BFA, School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University, Boston, MA

Grants/Awards

2007
Class Commencement Speaker, Mass. College of Art and Design at the Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, MA
2005 
Artist’s Resource Trust Grant, Great Barrington, MA
2003 
Full Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
1990
Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant, Weston, MA
1985
Award of Merit, National Small Works Exhibition, Schoharie Arts Council, Cobleskill, NY
1984 
Purchase Award, Annual Maine Maritime Flatworks Exhibition, University of Maine at Presque Isle

Selected Bibliography

“Subverting the Standard Survey,” by Martha Schwendener, The New York Times, December 9, 2012
“Nassau County Museum of Art Blockbuster Exhibit: 300 Years of Artists in America,” examiner.com, November 19, 2012
“Profile,” Art New England, by Lois Tarlow, November/December 2011
“From the Editor,” by Debbie Hagan, Art New England, May/June 2011
“Arts: The Week Ahead,” by Cate McQuaid, Boston Globe, April 14, 2011
“Cathleen Daley | all of a piece,” by Rosemary Noon, Carney Gallery exhibition catalog, March 2011
“Senior Stars — An Embarrassment of Riches,” by James Foritano, Artscope, May/June 2008
“No Chromophobia at OK Harris” (review), by Steven Alexander, stevenalexanderjournal.blogspot.com, July 6, 2008
“Our Favorite Shows of 2007,” Artscope, November/December 2007
“Cathleen Daley & Kitty Sweet Winslow” (review), by Patricia Rosoff, Art New England, 2007
“New England/New Talent,” by Leon Nigrosh, Artscope, May/June 2006
“Emerging Artists Display Fresh Perspectives” (review), by Greg Cook, Boston Globe, May 28, 2006

Collections

New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT
Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
University of Maine at Presque Isle, Presque Isle, ME
Hebrew Senior Life, Roslindale, MA
Private collections in New York, New England, Colorado, Canada

Public Commissions

2003
YWCA, Springfield, MA: Site-specific art consultation for women’s domestic abuse center
2001
Children’s Hosptial, Boston, MA: Large-scale mural for newly renovated emergency room