Catherine Colangelo’s body of work in Sea Change was inspired by the story of Abby Sunderland, the 16-year-old who attempted to sail solo around the world, but failed when she got caught in a storm in the Indian Ocean. Sunderland was subsequently rescued by Australian sailors. Colangelo decided to create a “Fleet for Abby,” a series of painted imaginary boats created to accompany Abby on her journey. Each of these non-traditional portraits represents a friend from Colangelo’s childhood. Following the tradition of naming boats after women, the title of each painting is the name of one of her childhood friends.

After earning a BFA in Painting from The Cooper Union in New York, Catherine Colangelo returned to Houston to pursue her art practice. She was the recipient of 2007 and 2011 Individual Artist Grant Fellowships from the Houston Arts Alliance. Catherine’s work has been featured in many solo and group exhibitions, most recently, the 2009 and 2011 Texas Biennials in Austin, “Narratives” at Philomena Gabriel Contemporary Gallery, and her solo show “Fleet for Abby” at Art League Houston.

Artists in this Exhibition

• Catherine Colangelo

Artist Video