"I am an artist with too much electricity in my brain: I have epilepsy. In 2008, I had brain surgery to remove the focal point of my seizures. With these changes, my paintings have become more than art to me. They are a unique record of my memory, experiences, and the way I perceive the world. They are a search for harmony among chaotic and conflicting elements.
The changes in my brain have created visible changes in my painting. The painting process and the images that resonate with me most have become more fluid and abstract, less rigid in both planning and in their final results. Through abstract landscapes, I am able to bring to life the distinctive way my mind's eye sees the world: a search for balance in the battle between cityscapes and the power inherent in nature. Man-made structures in their most elemental representation are bold and sharp, starkly contrasted against a natural background. My mind makes sense of my surroundings in its own way, using a compilation of images and memories to create a permanent record of my emotions and experiences."
- Cathy Hozack, September 2010
Education
2006
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
2004
Burren College of Art, Ireland
- fall semester study abroad program
Awards
2009
Creative Sparks Art Award
2006
Cuff/Sammak Prize for Abstract Painting
2005
Charles Toppan Prizes - Non Curriculum
Gilbert M. Cantor Memorial Scholarship
2004
Deena Gu Purchase Prize
All awards between 2004 and 2006 are from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
The Cuff/Sammak Prize for Abstract Painting, first awarded in 1990, is awarded to the student who recognizes the properties of all good painting and chooses to express those properties in an abstract or nonobjective manner.
Cathy Hozack was born in Montreal, Canada in 1980. She currently lives in Philadelphia, PA.
