Art Studio San Diego

09/19/2026

Woo Hoo! I’m featured in the October issue of Western Art Collector!
The new issue includes an Artist Focus on my work, and it’s especially meaningful to see these paintings and the ideas behind them presented to collectors and readers across the country.
My work has always been rooted in my love of the Western landscape, but increasingly I’m interested in what exists beyond the landscape itself: the relationships between living things, the way attention changes what we see, and how color can express something we feel but can’t necessarily name.
A huge thank you to The Ranch at Taos Gallery for their continued support of my paintings and to Western Art Collector for including my work in the October 2026 issue.
You can find my Artist Focus on page 130 of the October issue.
“What we choose to see shapes the world we live in.”
Cathy Carey

09/17/2026

I’m delighted to share the full schedule for the San Diego Artist Incubator 2!
This fall, I’ll be joining
Miki Vale / Mikiea Perkins
Miguel Galvan
Joe Cantrell
Alexandra Carter
across different disciplines as we bring our work into five venues throughout San Diego County. The project is centered on collaboration, exchange, and what can emerge when different artists, communities, and spaces come together.
I’ll be presenting work from my Systems of Awareness series, exploring the visible and invisible relationships that connect us to one another and to the natural world. Pollinators, perception, interdependence, and creative exchange are all part of this evolving body of work.
Our first event is coming up soon:
October 10, 12–8 PM
The Woo
Barrio Logan Art Crawl
2212 Main St., San Diego
Then we continue October 17, November 6, November 14, and December 11 at venues from Oceanside to San Diego.
I hope you’ll come see how the work changes, connects, and grows as we move through these different spaces.
Creativity grows between us.
San Diego Artist Incubator 2 is funded, in part, by The City of San Diego and California Arts Council.

09/12/2026

I’m excited to announce the first exhibition of our San Diego Artist Incubator 2 collaboration!
Join us Saturday, October 10 at The Woo as part of the Barrio Logan Art Crawl, a self-guided Art Walk held every second Saturday from 12–8 PM throughout the Barrio Logan Cultural District.
My work will be at The Woo
2212 Main St, San Diego, CA 92113
Saturday, October 10
12–8 PM
This is the beginning of a collaboration between five artists from different disciplines, creating and presenting work together at five venues between Oceanside and San Diego through the end of the year.
I’ll be presenting work from my Systems of Awareness series, exploring perception, connection, nature, and the invisible relationships that exist between us.
What excites me most about this project is seeing what happens when our different creative practices come into relationship with one another. It’s not just about putting our individual work in the same room. It’s about discovering what can emerge between us.
Creativity grows between us.
Come wander the Art Crawl, explore Barrio Logan, and stop by The Woo to see where our collaboration begins!
San Diego Artist Incubator 2
Funded, in part, by the California Arts Council.

09/08/2026

This week I am starting the second round of the San Diego Artist Incubator grant collaboration! I will be working with 4 other artists of varying disciplines, and we will be presenting our work at 5 different venues between Oceanside and San Diego between now and December! I will be presenting for the first time the series Systems of Awareness which includes the Pollinator Series - many of which will also be displayed for the first time. Here is "Bloom of Perception" to lead off with!

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.