Cyndie Katz

 

 

Cyndie Sohl Katz has always found profound joy in colors, shapes, and patterns whether in a garden, stained-glass window, or even a striped sweater. This passion eventually led her to become an abstract artist, but it was a long road getting there.

Born Cynthia Ann Sohl in 1955, New York City, she moved around the U.S. in her childhood due to her father's corporate career. "I was always drawing and creating things with my sewing machine. The public schools I attended had great art programs. But when I was twelve, my father told me quite sternly that he'd never pay for me to go to art school, that art could only be a hobby. I accepted that and never dreamed of calling myself an artist until I took a painting class on a trip to Mexico in 1998. Secretly I wanted to paint abstractly, but I already felt like I was getting away with something by calling myself an artist at all. However, in 2015 I got the idea to make geometric art based on quilt patterns. It felt both safe and expressive in a very satisfying way.”

To date, Katz has produced a large body of geometric abstracts. She has studios in both Morelia, Mexico and New Boston, New Hampshire. She also paints on Matinicus Island in Maine. “Locations and mood are the main influences of my work. And these days I’m more fearless than I used to be. I believe in the ability of colors, shapes, and patterns to create something joyful -- that’s my mission in this life -- and the possibilities are endless."