My photo
I've lived a rather nomadic lifestyle and although I now consider the Desert Southwest my home, the wandering days are not over; drawing helps me explore the world. My media is pen and ink. To me, it's all about detail and process. Drawing helps me to understand the human condition, to impose my own sort of order on chaos. Although I am not personally religious, I'm interested in religious and cultural beliefs, customs, rituals, artifacts, icons, symbols, architecture, and the ways in which religion and culture affect each other. I'm drawn to the odd, the quirky, the esoteric; to the grace and flow of textiles and garments on the human form; to the emotional and psychic elements of the human condition, as well as to the physical. My formal training is in technical drawing which, when it isn't an overt element, is a heavy influence in my work.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

WIP - Dressing Durer's Beast

WIP - Dressing Durer's Beast
Dressing Durer's Beast
Ink
5 x 3 in
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009

Durer created his Rhino without ever having seen one. They were novel in his time. His intended model drowned in a shipwreck before he saw it. He drew from someone else's notes. I've always loved this beast, in part because he got some of it anatomically wrong. My drawing is based on his outline.

Imaginary Places: Hulak


Imaginary Places: Hulak, originally uploaded by Doeki.

Imaginary Places: Hulak
Pen and ink
3 x 5 in (8 x 13 cm)
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009

Hulak, near the Xangu River, Brazil, 10 S 55 W. The Hula men are small, blond and wear blue silk tunics; the women are stronger and very competent in radio transmission. They have invented a deadly blue ray with which they terrify their enemies. ~The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, Compiled by Manguel and Guadalupi

Imaginary Places: Hulak Minor


Imaginary Places: Hulak Minor, originally uploaded by Doeki.

Imaginary Places: Hulak Minor
Pen and ink
2 x 3
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009

Hulak, near the Xangu River, Brazil, 10 S 55 W. The Hula men are small, blond and wear blue silk tunics; the women are stronger and very competent in radio transmission. They have invented a deadly blue ray with which they terrify their enemies. ~The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, Compiled by Manguel and Guadalupi

Monday, August 24, 2009

Untitled

Untitled
Ink on 140# Fabriano
2 x 3 in (5 x 7,5 cm)
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009

First Place in Fairfax Art League Spotlight on the Arts show, 2010

Monday, July 27, 2009

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Etching Class #1

Etching Class #1
Etching on zinc plate, pen & ink
4 x 3 inches
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009

Etched on a zinc plate and printed on Rives BFK printmaking paper. The image is enhanced with pen and ink.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Monday, June 22, 2009

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Woman with Camel

Woman with Camel
India Ink
7 x 5.5 in (18 x 14 cms)
Catherine L. Mommsen
2008

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Entwined: The Mommsen Girls

Entwined: The Mommsen Girls
9 x 12 in. (23 x 31 cm)
India Ink on smooth bristol
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009

Modeled, with permission, on Rosanne Phelan's painting, Girls. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosemovie/2721915361/in/set-72157600975002819/

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Sultan Ahmet Camii


Sultan Ahmet Camii
The Blue Mosque
5 x 7 in. (13 x 18 cm )
Ink on 140 # rag
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

St. Peter's Tomb, Vatican Catacombs


St. Peter's Tomb, The Vatican Catacombs
4.75 x 5.75 in. (12 x 17 cm )
Ink on 140# rag
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Calliope


Calliope
Ink, watercolor, handmade papers
20 x 25 cm
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009
Inspired by writer and editor Ric Leonetti. http://web.mac.com/luckyric/Site/Welcome.html

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Pai in the Fifth Dominion


Pai in the Fifth Dominion
26 x 20 cms
Monoprint: Ink and acrylics on canvas
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009

The Resurrection of Amador


The Resurrection of Amador
26 x 20 cm
India Ink on smooth bristol
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009

SETI

SETI
23 x 30 cm
India Ink on 140# rag
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Giza in Binary


Giza in Binary
50 x 40 cm
India ink on smooth bristol
Catherine L. Mommsen
2009