Catherine Maize Recent Paintings
Foreword
The magic of a spectacular still life painting is always a site to behold. The ability of objects to capture the eye and convey feeling is something that was recognized as far back as the Ancient Egyptians (if not further) and has been a consistent presence in painting through time and across cultures since. In the case of Catherine Maize’s intimate panels, her use of color, brushstrokes, and light imbues each composition with atmosphere, mood, and arrested visual drama, causing viewers to pause and reflect when encountered.
In the following pages is an essay by Lavinia Wolf positioning Maize within the history of the genre and exploring her contributions to it. I give great thanks to Ms. Wolf for contributing her words about Catherine Maize’s paintings to this catalogue.
I also give great thanks to the Paul Thiebaud Gallery team – Colleen Casey, Matthew Miller, and Gregory Hemming – for their hard work and support in making this exhibition and catalogue a reality.
Greg Flood, Director October 2025
Animate Stillness
by Lavinia Wolf
The creation of a still life painting is a seemingly simple task: Take a group of small objects – glasses, cases, flowers, fruit, fish, game birds, etc. – and arrange them on a surface. From there, reproduce them in paint on a canvas to a degree where they are recognizable enough to the viewer, usually in a composition set within a shallow pictorial space. In reality, creating a compelling still life that holds the viewer’s attention and has meaning is much more complex.
Originating as far back as ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, perhaps the most celebrated period of still life painting in western art comes from the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. Each a symbolic morality play, Dutch still lifes from this period elevated the genre to a level of respect and importance for the first time. By the time the cultural power center in Europe shifted to France at the end of the 1600s, the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture created by Louis XIV in 1648 had subjugated still life painting to one of the lowest rungs of importance in its hierarchy of painting. The reasons for this were several. History paintings and religious scenes were considered the highest and noblest of achievements for their ability to support the king and advance his social and political power. Another reason was that Catholic France hated the Protestant Dutch Republic, and were angry that their attempts to conquer the Netherlands had failed.
Regardless of the reason, the end result was that still life painting remained of lesser importance in the world of art until the later 19th century. However, this low status allowed for women to work in the genre and excel. Two of the greatest still life painters of the 18th century are Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750) and Anne Vallayer-Coster (1744-1818). Ruysch’s paintings of flowers and insects brim with sumptuous colors and radiate light, giving them a jewel like quality. Valleyer-Coster’s paintings of the fruits of the hunt and harvest recall the works of the Dutch from a century before, but through the softer touch of Rococo aesthetics.
The still life genre remained relatively unchanged until Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) set his brushes to it. Liberating color and structure with each stroke of paint, Cézanne’s distillation of forms set the stage for abstraction to enter the genre, and opened the door for the works of Juan Gris (18871927) and later Hans Hoffman (1880-1966) to come into being.
Arguably, the most famous still life painter of the 20th century is Giorgio Morandi (1980-1964). His compositions stood out for a number of reasons at the time they were made. The most obvious is that they do not follow the trajectory of modernist avant-garde painting that took place during his lifetime. The closest Morandi got to it were his early works in the 1910s, some of which could be considered proto-surrealist. Instead, he favored a soft realism conveyed through a harmonious palette of color. The other reason they stood apart is Morandi created his compositions using the
same objects over and over again in different arrangements. This decades long obsession with the nuances of form, color, structure, and light became the hallmark of his career.
In the post-war period, Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021) spent over six decades exploring the cakes, pies, and culinary confections of the industrial food age in America. Joseph Cornell (19031972) accumulated discarded and forgotten objects to create is celebrated boxed assemblages. Beginning in the mid-1970s, Paul Wonner (1920-2008) was inspired by the Dutch still lifes of the past when making his reinterpretations of the genre, which ultimately moved the it into the postmodern age.
At the supposed dawn of the “posthuman age”, what do the works of still life painter Catherine Maize have to offer us? A great deal actually. Maize sets her works apart from her predecessors through the very distinctive mood she imbues into each composition. She achieves this through her nuanced application of brushstrokes and delicate use of color. These elements coalesce into the atmospheric light, spatial dimension, and moody shadows within each scene that transform the ordinary into something to behold.
Another difference is the scale at which Maize chooses to paint. The largest work in her exhibition of Recent Paintings at Paul Thiebaud Gallery is only seven inches square. This intimate quality draws the viewer in from across the room and reminds us that the strength and power of a painting is not dependent on its size. Is also brings into focus the importance of her handling of the paint. Not a single stroke is unimportant, unconsidered, or misplaced across the painting’s surface. Each has an active role in conveying the shimmering sense of arrested movement in each image.
Perhaps more importantly, each composition Maize paints is a steady reminder that the world around us is a physical experience that truly cannot be digitized. The softly blurred edges of her forms convey a truer sense of how we perceive reality with our eyes than the pin sharp, all in focus high-definition video and photography of today. Her layered surfaces are proof that there are more textures in the world than just the smooth glass of the multitude of tech devices in our lives. They also remind us that in a world where the bigger parts of life are daunting, if not outright frightening, there is beauty and respite to be found in the everyday objects around us.
*
Lavinia Wolf is a writer and cultural critic based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Plate 1:
Self Portrait, 2025, oil on panel, 4 x 4 inches
Plate 2:
Five Vases, 2025, oil on panel, 7 x 7 inches
Plate 3:
House in Snowy Landscape, 2025, oil on panel, 7 x 5 inches
Plate 4:
Striped Bowl, Cup, and Celadon Pot, 2025, oil on panel, 4 x 8 inches
Plate 5:
Golden Calla Lilies, 2025, oil on panel, 5 x 5 inches
Chair and Table with Yellow Vase, 2025, oil on panel, 7 x 5 inches
Plate 7:
Lemon, Apple, and Carafe, 2025, oil on panel, 6 x 7 inches
Two Demitasse Cups, 2025, oil on panel, 5 x 5 inches
Plate 9:
Lemon Apple, and Celadon Pot, 2025, oil on panel, 4 x 8 inches
Plate 10:
Tabletop Vases with Lemon, 2025, oil on panel, 6 x 6 inches
Plate 11:
Grapes in Bowl, 2024, oil on panel, 4 x 5 inches
Plate 12:
Blue Amphora and Vase, 2023, oil on panel, 5 x 7 inches
Plate 13:
Chair and Desk, 2025, oil on panel, 6 x 6 inches
Plate 14:
Dark Pink Vase, Purple Vase, 2025, oil on panel, 6 x 6 inches
Plate 15:
Yellow Carafe with Vases, 2025, oil on panel, 5 x 8 inches
Plate 16:
Bowl, Spoon, and Pear, 2023, oil on panel, 6 x 6 inches
Plate 17:
Untitled (Landscape), 2023, oil on panel, 6 x 7 inches
Plate 18:
Shelf, 2023, oil on panel, 4 x 8 inches
Plate 19:
Bowls on Table, 2025, oil on panel, 6 x 6 inches
Plate 20:
Room with Indigo Curtain, 2025, oil on panel, 7 x 5 inches
Plate 21:
Untitled, 2022, oil on panel, 4 1/2 x 8 inches
Plate 22:
Big Grapes in a Small Bowl, 2025, oil on panel, 4 1/2 x 8 inches
Plate 23:
The Blue Plate and Sundry Vases, 2025, oil on panel, 5 x 7 inches
Plate 24:
Orange Flowers in Glass Vase, 2025, oil on panel, 7 x 5 inches
Exhibition Checklist
Plate 1: Self Portrait 2025 oil on panel 4 x 4 in.
Plate 2: Five Vases 2025 oil on panel 7 x7 in.
Plate 3: House in Snowy Landscape 2025 oil on panel 7 x 5 in.
Plate 4: Striped Bowl, Cup, and Celadon Pot 2025 oil on panel 4 x 8 in.
Plate 5: Golden Calla Lilies 2025 oil on panel 5 x 5 in.
Plate 6: Chair and Table with Yellow Vase 2025 oil on panel 7 x 5 in.
Plate 7: Lemon, Apple, and Carafe 2025 oil on panel 6 x 7 in.
Plate 8: Two Demitasse Cups 2025 oil on panel 5 x 5 in.
Plate 9: Lemon, Apple, and Celadon Pot 2025 oil on panel 4 x 8 in.
Plate 10: Tabletop Vases with Lemon 2025 oil on panel 6 x 6 in.
Plate 11: Grapes in Bowl 2024 oil on panel 4 x 5 in.
Plate 12: Blue Amphora and Vase 2023 oil on panel 5 x 7 in.
Plate 13: Chair and Desk 2025 oil on panel 6 x 6 in.
Plate 14: Dark Pink Vase, Purple Vase 2025 oil on panel 6 x 6 in.
Plate 15: Yellow Carafe with Vases 2025 oil on panel 5 x 8 in.
Plate 16: Bowl, Spoon, and Pear 2023 oil on panel 6 x 6 in.
Plate 17: Untitled (Landscape) 2023 oil on panel 6 x 7 in.
Plate 18: Shelf 2023 oil on panel 4 x 8 in.
Plate 19: Bowls on Table 2025 oil on panel 6 x 6 in.
Plate 20: Room with Indigo Curtain 2025 oil on panel 7 x 5 in.
Works not Exhibited
Plate 21: Untitled 2022 oil on panel 4 1/2 x 8 in.
Plate 22: Big Grapes in a Small Bowl 2025 oil on panel 4 1/2 x 8 in.
Plate 23: The Blue Plate and Sundry Vases 2025 oil on panel 5 x 7 in.
Plate 24: Orange Flowers in Glass Vase 2025 oil on panel 7 x 5 in.
EDUCATION
1974 MFA , Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
1971 BFA Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
1970 New York Studio School, New York, NY
Yale Summer School, Norfolk, CT
1968 Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
TEACHING
1991-1995
Instructor, South Haven Center for the Arts, MI
1989 Instructor, Art Institute of Chicago, IL
1988 Art and Art History Instructor, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
1985-1986 Instructor, Daley College, Chicago, IL
1984 Instructor, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
1977-1981 Instructor, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
1976 Instructor, Cape Cod Community College, West Barnstable, MA
1974 Teaching Assistantship, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
SELECTED AWARDS
2013 Third Prize, West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI
2003 Prize, Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI
1995 Award of Merit, 17th Annual Michigan Artists Competition, Art Center of Battle Creek, MI
1992 Best of Show and Juror’s Award, Northern Indiana Art Association 43rd Annual Salon, IN Prize, Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI
1985 First Place Award, Gold Medal Show, Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art, Chicago, IL
1976 First Prize, First Annual West End Gallery, Boston University, MA
1970 New York Studio School Scholarship, Fall Semester
1970 Yale Summer School Scholarship
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025 Catherine Maize: Recent Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2023 Catherine Maize: Intimate Moments, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2016 Catherine Maize: Recent Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2014 Catherine Maize: Recent Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2012 International Art Collective, South Haven, MI
2011 Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2009 Recent Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, New York, NY
2007 William Baczek Fine Art, Northampton, MA
2006 Belloc Lowndes Fine Art, Chicago, IL
2004 Water Street Gallery, Saugatuck, MI
2002 Water Street Gallery, Saugatuck, MI
2001 Water Street Gallery, Saugatuck, MI
1998 Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, MI
1996 Water Street Gallery, Saugatuck, MI
South Haven Memorial Library, South Haven, MI
1995 Water Street Gallery, Saugatuck, MI
1994 La Rive Gallery, South Haven, MI
1991 South Haven Memorial Library, South Haven, MI
1988 The 3rd Coast, Chicago, IL
1987 Steinberg Gallery, Newton Center, MA
1986 Community Center for the Arts, Michigan City, IN
1984 Vault Gallery, State National Bank, Evanston, IL
1980 Montserrat School of Visual Art, Beverly, MA
1979 Helen Bumpus Gallery, Duxbury, MA
1978 Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 ART on Paper, Pier 36, New York, NY
EXPO Chicago, Festival Pavilion, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
2023 artMRKT San Francisco, Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA
2022 artMRKT San Francisco, Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA
2019 artMRKT San Francisco, Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA
2017 EXPO Chicago, Festival Pavilion, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
2016 25th Annual Juried Exhibition, Bowery Gallery, New York, NY
2015
EXPO Chicago, Festival Pavilion, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
Nourish, Napa Valley Museum, Yountville, CA
Season Opening, Judith Racht Gallery, Harbert, MI
Zeuxis: Beyond the Window, Norton Center for the Arts, Centre College, Danville, KY.
Traveled to: Bowery Gallery, New York, NY; Alexandre Hogue Gallery, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK; Mark W. Potter Gallery, The Taft School, Waterbury, CT
2015 24th Annual Juried Show, Bowery Gallery, New York, NY
2014 Catherine Maize and David Zimmerman, Judith Racht Gallery, Harbert, MI
2014 National Juried Exhibition, First Street Gallery, New York, NY
Still Blue: Zeuxis at First Street Gallery, First Street Gallery, New York, NY
2013
EXPO Chicago, Festival Pavilion, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
artMRKT San Francisco, Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA
West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts, Kalamazoo, MI
Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, IL
85th Regional Exhibit, Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI
2012 Art Miami, The Art Miami Pavilion, Wynwood Arts District, Miami, FL
EXPO Chicago, Festival Pavilion, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
artMRKT San Francisco, Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco, CA
Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, Palm Springs Convention Center, Palm Springs, CA
LA Art Show, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA
2011 artMRKT San Francisco, Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco, CA
Art Chicago 2011, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL
2010 San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Fine Art Fair, Fort Mason, San Francisco, C
Art Chicago 2010, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL
2009 San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, IL
Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts Kalamazoo, MI
Judith Racht Gallery, Harbert, MI
2008 Art Chicago 2008, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL
LA Art Show, Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, CA
2007 Art Chicago 2007, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL
LA Art Show, Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, CA
2006 Art Chicago 2006, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL
Vignettes, Hayes George Gallery, Charlotte, NC
Water Street Gallery, Saugatuck, MI
2005
Vignettes, Hayes George Gallery, Charlotte, NC
Pan American Art Gallery (Three-Person Show), Dallas, TX
Art Chicago in the Park 2005, Butler Field, Chicago, IL
San Francisco International Art Exposition, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
(cont.)
Palm Beach 3 Contemporary, Palm Beach, FL
2004 San Francisco International Art Exposition, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
2003 Women’s Works, Arts Center, Woodstock, IL
Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts, Kalamazoo, MI
2001 Still Lifes by Catherine Maize and David Zimmermann, Kalamazoo, MI
2000 531 Central Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL
1997 Bowery Gallery, New York, NY
Fontana Festival, Shelbyville, MI
1996 Judith Racht Gallery, Harbert, MI
Lyons-Wier and Ginsberg Gallery, Chicago, IL
1995 Painting Today, Erector Square Gallery, New Haven, CT
17th Annual Michigan Arts Competition, Art Center of Battle Creek, MI Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI
All-Michigan All-Media Show, Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph, MI
1994 Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI
1993 All-Michigan All-Media Show, Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph, MI
1992 Directors’ Invitational Show, Holland, Krasl, South Haven, MI Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI
All-Michigan All-Media Show, Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph, MI
1986 Northern Indiana Art Association 43rd Annual Salon
1985 Gold Medal Show, Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art, Chicago, IL
1984 Norris Cultural Center, St. Charles, IL
1982 National Landscape Competition, Washington, D.C.
1978 Boston City Hall, Boston, MA
1977 East End Gallery, Provincetown, MA
1976 First Annual, West End Art Gallery, Boston University, Boston, MA
Cover: Room with Indigo Curtain (detail), 2025
Rear Cover: Tabletop Vases with Lemon (detail), 2025
Copyright 2025 Paul Thiebaud Gallery. All Rights Reserved.
Images copyright 2025 Catherine Maize.
Essay copyright 2025 Lavinia Wolf.
Design: Greg Flood and Matthew Miller
All images, photo: Matthew Miller
No portion of this document may be reproduced or stored without the express written permission of the copyright holder(s).
PAUL THIEBAUD GALLERY