Catherine Orfald

Catherine Orfald is a portrait artist whose training is in oil painting. Her paintings have been shown in a number of group and solo shows. In 1992 when she was expecting her first child, she took a hiatus from the fumes of turpentine. During that time she was drawn to holography for, as she says " the interesting interplay of light and time". This piece is the result of that attraction. It's full title is taken from a Kagaba Indian song:
"The Mother of Songs,
the mother of our whole seed,
bore us in the beginning."
This series of reflection holograms based on the theme of creation and unity is framed as a triptych. The three holograms are images of a family (mother, father, and baby).

The framed display of the holograms is of integral importance to the piece. Behind the glass is an arrangement of beans and seeds. The three holograms are arranged in front of this design, as well as a strip of symbols set upon a black background. Scratched in the black paint are names of fertility goddesses from around the world. The symbols, printed in red on acetate, represent creation and unity.

The hologram on the left is an image of a pregnant woman in front of a tree. The central holographic image (shown here) is comprised of two master holograms, shot together to form the finished piece. The image of a man holding a baby, the two of them gazing at each other, is superimposed over a pregnant torso. The hologram on the right is a double exposure: a pregnant woman and a man in profile.

The Table Of Contents.
The Next Artist.
The Previous Artist.
The Curator's Statement.
Catherine's Home Page.

Spanish Version.