Meet Catherine Rex

Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Rex.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I grew up in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California, and from the moment I was born, I was immersed in art and dirt. My mother is an artist, and my father is passionate about the outdoors. So I spent my childhood surrounded by the beauty of the wilderness and great art.

As a child, I was either covered head to toe in paint, from adding my own creations to the bottom of my mother’s large abstract paintings, or caked in dirt, from helping my father with his creative outdoor projects. On the off chance, I was clean, you would find me in a museum or a dance class.

Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I found sanctuary in paint and clay. When I was young, I was diagnosed as dyslexic, so while the written word never came easy, I always felt I could express myself best through sculpture.

Even with a family full of artists, art was never presented to me as a practical career choice. So while studying at Claremont McKenna College, I majored in psychology with a focus on children with Autism. That said, I can’t go long without covering my hands in clay or getting out of my head through dance. I found myself consistently overfilling my class schedule with extra art classes at Pitzer College and dance at Pomona College, both right next door. I graduated Magna Cum Laude and took a job as a Behavioral Therapist for children with Autism. While I loved this job, I yearned for something more creative. After a brief stint working as the Marketing Director for a social media start-up, I finally took the plunge and dove deep into pursuing art fulltime.

I now live in Newport Beach on a sailboat with my husband. I have been pursuing art fulltime for about two years and feel lucky every moment. I named my brand Rex Design, while I generally focus on functional ceramic art and line drawings, I love to mix it up and design in multiple mediums and fields. I express my inspiration best while working with various materials. Playing keeps the creativity following.

Please tell us about your art.
Rex Design is a mix media collection of my art, ranging from drawings to functional ceramic sculptures and homeware. I personally design and hand-make all my work in small batches with the mission of creating art that will brighten your home and day.

I’m inspired by the beauty of everyday life. So in my work, you will see a range of embracing the female experience to the serenity and colors of the California Coastline.

My art, which celebrates the female form, works to explore power and femininity. I find the female body in all its shapes and sizes to be one of the most mesmerizing parts of nature. I think it is very important, especially today to embrace our bodies, health, and power we have as women. Through my work, I try to create functional art and objects that embrace femininity, as well as the female body and all of its parts. I strive to make work that is empowering, will make you smile, and hopefully start a conversation.

When I’m not working with the theme of the female existence, I get distracted by the beauty of California. Living on a sailboat with my partner has given me the gift of slowing down the world around me. I’m blessed to be awakened by the bright skies and deep blue ocean of the California Coast that appear to make time standstill. Its simplicity and vibrant earthen tones can be seen throughout all mediums of my art.

Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
I have people ask me all the time, “how long does it take to get good at ceramics or drawing.” For me they are like dance, it is all muscle memory. Practice every day, and don’t be afraid to fail. I can hear my Mom in my head, “Perfect art is boring.”

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can find my work on my website https://www.rexdesign.co or my Instagram @rexdesign.co.

If you would like to see my work in person, I do a number of Pop-ups and events in Southern California, so follow me on Instagram to know when my next event is.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rexdesign.co
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rexdesign.co/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RexDesign.Co/

Image Credit:
images taken by Catherine Rex

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