Kate Breakey's View of the Moon
To kick off celebrations for the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing, Catherine Couturier Gallery shares the work of gallery artist Kate Breakey.
“The moon is an entity in our lives, part of biological evolution on this planet, part of the earth’s history, our species’ story.” – Kate Breakey
Kate Breakey often looks to the moon. It is a fascinating subject and has been a source of inspiration for art, literature, and religion for centuries. Breakey’s was first awestruck by the moon when her father showed her the moon by using a “theodolite” when she was a small child. Again mesmerized, she witnessed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin take their first steps on the moon when she was 11.
Breakey has photographed the moon many times. Her orotones are quiet and intimate just as one might experience the moon in Australia on a dark starlit night.
The moon appears in Breakey’s hand-colored photographs as well. In color and at a farther distance, the moon is ghostly. Despite this, the landscapes feel romantic. The moon's glow creates a longing that is both beautiful and tragic.
To read Margaret Regan's review of Kate Breakey's recent exhibition featuring the moon, click here.
About
Kate Breakey is a contemporary artist well known for her delicately hand-painted photographs of birds, flowers, insects, and landscapes. Often rendered in warm yellow tones, her images seek to evoke both the mystery and power of the natural world, and have been featured in such publications as Small Deaths, Painted Light, and Slow Light.
Born in Adelaide, Australia, Breakey studied art at the University of Southern Australia before moving to Austin, TX in 1988, where she attended the University of Texas and received her MFA in 1991. Breakey’s works are in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, and the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego among others. In 2004, she received the Photographer of the Year Award from the Houston Center for Photography. The artist lives and works in Tucson, AZ.
