Art Studio San Diego

07/29/2026

Have you ever looked at a painting and wondered what inspired it?
This short video shares the story behind my Systems of Awareness series and the questions that continue to shape my work.
It all began with an unexpected sketch in Joshua Tree when an eye appeared in one of my drawings. I left it there, and that simple moment became the starting point for an exploration of perception, creativity, nature, and consciousness.
As the series evolved, I began hiding small discoveries throughout the paintings. Animals, pathways, spirals, and subtle forms reveal themselves the longer you look. The act of seeing becomes part of the artwork itself.
I don't believe paintings exist to provide answers.
I believe they invite better questions.
If you've ever been curious about what these paintings are really about, I'd love for you to watch.
🎥 Watch here: https://youtu.be/Adj0UGBfTWk
After you've seen it, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
What did you notice that someone else might have missed?

What if the world we experience depends as much on how we perceive ...

06/18/2026

Breaking Free 30 x 24 oil by Cathy Carey
What happens when creativity begins to flow again?
Breaking Free was inspired by the landscapes of Batiquitos Lagoon and the pollinator gardens that thrive there. Watching bees, butterflies, and other pollinators move through the environment made me think about how ideas travel through creative communities. One conversation sparks another, leading to new possibilities and unexpected directions.
At the time, I was feeling stuck in my work. Through conversations with artists in the Oceanside Museum of Art Artist Alliance and our Social Gathering group, I found inspiration in the exchange of ideas. Instead of painting the landscape literally, I allowed the dragonfly to emerge as a more symbolic and abstract form—a representation of transformation, freedom, and creative growth.
The painting also carries a personal meaning. The trails around Batiquitos Lagoon were places I enjoyed walking with my dog Sunny. After his passing, spending time outdoors became part of my healing process. In that way, Breaking Free is also about letting go of grief and finding renewal through nature.
I'd love to hear: Where do you go when you need to reconnect with inspiration?

In this video, I share the inspiration behind Breaking Free, a pain...

06/15/2026

Sugar Rush: Artist Alliance at Sparks Gallery
Submit Here! Submissions close June 25, 10:59pm PST

Work that is vibrant, playful, and visually striking work, such as bold, pop-inspired styles that embrace bright color and the fizzy energy of popular culture. Art that feels sweet, lively, fun, humorous, and/or impossible to ignore.

06/03/2026

"Rabbit Way Up" by Cathy Carey is showing in the Covet Gallery reception this Saturday June 6 - Euphoria! Join me for some fun at this cool art spot in Oceanside!
https://www.covetartgallery.com/l/rabbit-way-up/6a0f3819-da25-4a9d-923d-615c2f87a0aa
https://www.covetartgallery.com

Rabbit Way Up Original oil by Rabbit Way Up A playful moment filled with movement, color, and curiosity, Rabbit Way Up captures the spirited energy of the Elfin Forest "Way Up Trail" in North San Diego County through expressive brushwork and luminous layers. A rabbit pauses mid-journey within a vibr...

06/03/2026

The Narrows • Oil on Canvas 30 x 24 by Cathy Carey
Some places feel ancient not only because of their geology, but because of the awareness they awaken in us.
The Narrows was inspired by walking through the narrow canyon walls of Zion, where water, stone, light, and time have been shaping one another for millennia. The flowing forms and luminous colors explore the landscape as a living system of exchange—where every element is connected through visible and invisible relationships.
As I painted, I thought about how awareness changes what we see. The canyon becomes more than a place; it becomes a reminder that we are part of a much larger network of relationships, continually shaped by the world around us and our attention to it.
What places make you feel most connected to something larger than yourself?

06/02/2026

Among the Hoodoos by Cathy Carey
30 x 24 in. Oil on Canvas
What if the landscape is not simply a place, but a field of awareness?
Among the Hoodoos emerged from my fascination with the invisible relationships that connect living systems. The hoodoos, trees, horses, sky, and winding river are not separate elements but participants in an interconnected web of exchange. The swirling forms that move throughout the painting suggest currents of energy, perception, and communication flowing through the environment.
The horses stand as witnesses within this living network, while the trees echo pathways of movement and connection between earth and sky. The landscape becomes more than a depiction of Bryce Canyon—it becomes a reflection on how awareness may arise through relationship, and how every part of an ecosystem contributes to the whole.
Inspired by the idea that what we choose to see shapes the world we experience, this painting invites viewers to consider the possibility that consciousness and connection are woven throughout the natural world, expressed through patterns of growth, change, and interdependence.

06/01/2026

On Top of the Mesa - 30 x 24 oil by Cathy Carey
There’s something about standing high above the landscape that changes your perspective.
Up on the Mesa was inspired by those moments when the world seems to open in every direction—where winding canyons, distant mountains, and endless skies reveal the interconnected patterns that shape the land. The painting explores the idea that awareness is not separate from nature, but part of it—woven through living systems, geological time, and our experience of place.
Through luminous color, flowing pathways, and expressive movement, I wanted to capture the feeling of being both observer and participant in a landscape that is alive with energy, memory, and possibility.
What I love most about the Southwest is how it invites us to slow down, look deeper, and recognize the relationships that connect us to the world around us.

05/27/2026

Exploring new directions with a recent painting inspired by Zion’s The Narrows.
In this work, I’ve been thinking about landscapes as living systems of exchange - where water, geology, atmosphere, plant life, and perception are interconnected through visible and invisible relationships. The flowing pathways, spiraling forms, and layered patterns are inspired by pollinator movement, migration routes, root systems, and the unseen energies moving through ecosystems.
Rather than simply painting a place, I wanted to create a sense of living awareness within the canyon itself - a reminder that resilience in nature emerges through reciprocity, interdependence, and relationship.
“The Narrows”
Oil on linen
by Cathy Carey

05/12/2026

The People’s Artist - A New Adventure in Visibility - you can vote for free!
https://peoplesartist.org/2026/cathy-carey