Cathy Rose

This issue of Somerset Studio has my profile of New Orleans artist Cathy Rose, and I've gotten more nice comments about it than any other I can remember. Cathy's work is fabulous--just breathtaking--and we were reallyreallyreally lucky to get to visit her studio last autumn when we met Katherine Engen of Valley Ridge Studio for a couple of fabulous days of exploring in conjunction with our trip to Houston for the International Quilt Show, which we photographed for Destination: Creativity. Whew. Got all that?

Cathy

 (I love the way it looks like the figure is emerging from her head, a visual representation of how I think ideas are born.)

I don't know if I showed these photos back then or not--I don't think I did because I think I offered them to the magazine in case they had a little extra room and wanted some studio shots. Of course, there's never enough room for everything you'd like to put in--books, magazines, newsletters--there's always more you'd like to share.

Even if I *did* show these before, they're wonderful photos, and I'm hoping that people who love Cathy's work will find them here and enjoy the glimpse into her gallery and studio. Feel free to share the link. Click to enlarge.

After I talked to Cathy, the name of the studio always makes my throat tighten up a little. 

The gallery part of Lucky Girls, in the front.

Cathy and Katherine in the front window with a piece Katherine wanted to take home. She would have but couldn't figure out where she could put it. 

In the back room, the studio part. 

Works in progress.

In the profile she talks about collecting all kinds of stuff. She's serious about that.

You could spend days here and not see everything.

These hands are my favorites--I love these shots. 

My favorite. Doesn't it make you want to touch them?

Now I can't remember how much else I showed from our trip to New Orleans last year. Huh. Guess I'd better go check--lots of fabulous shots I don't know if I was saving, or if I showed, or what. 

All photographs by Earl Zachery.