Catherine Brooks
M.F.A., artist, master printer and author
Catherine Brooks was born in San Francisco, CA and grew up in Tucson, AZ. As a student at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, Catherine was introduced to printmaking in a foundations art course and she instantly fell in love with the mysterious medium. During her time at Evergreen a letter arrived at the printmaking studio, addressed to a faculty member from a former printmaking student, Case Hudson, who had since become a Master Printer at Crown Point Press in San Francisco, CA. The note was written on elegant letterhead stationary and described his satisfaction with working with visiting artists there. At that moment Catherine became inspired to pursue a career as a printmaker herself.
After graduating from Evergreen in 2001 with a B.A. in printmaking, Catherine went to Paris, France to undertake a professional apprenticeship in lithography at Atelier Fleur de Pierre. Auspiciously, her stay in Paris concurred with Le Mois de L’Estampe, “the month of the print,” when every printmaking studio in Paris prepared exhibits of their editions and the community came together each evening to celebrate their hard work. At one such gathering, Catherine met her future mentor, René Tazé, who is considered to be the best etching printer in Paris. She extended her stay in France to make another apprenticeship with the Maître d’Art at Atelier René Tazé, where she discovered etching to be her métier.
After returning to the U.S. from Paris, Catherine worked briefly as a letterpress printer in Portland, OR. In 2002 Catherine joined the staff at Crown Point Press as an apprentice printer. After three years of assisting and leading artists’ projects there she was awarded the title Master Printer. In 2007 Crown Point Press published her book Magical Secrets About Line Etching and Engraving – the Step-by-Step Art of Incised Lines. Since 2009 Catherine has been an independent lecturer, presenting the story of her career working with eminent artists and teaching in numerous printmaking studios, universities and museums worldwide. In 2010 she designed the printmaking studio at VCUQ in Doha, Qatar. In 2011 Catherine received her M.F.A. in painting and printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University. Catherine now lives in Boulder, CO. She is an artist, writer and mother of two children. Her essays, poems, handcrafts, and works of embodied performance can be viewed on CatherineBrooks.com.