Cathy Engel-Marder – Art and Cake

Cathy Engel-Marder
Los Angeles, CA
Age 71

What keeps you excited in the studio?
The journey: pushing ahead, step by step, rather than doing what I already know I can do.

Looking back at your trajectory as an artist, how would you say your work has developed?
I started as a ceramic sculptor. After surviving “the instructor from hell,” I shifted gears and delved into mixed media. My work has gotten more playful over time and my professional goals have changed. I am a retired Licensed Clinical Social Worker whose clients were families affected by violence and trauma. I now look for ways to infuse that background into my creative endeavors. Last year I taught seven months of mixed-media family workshops at two homeless shelters in Los Angeles. My goal was to bring a little fun and relaxation into some very stressed-out lives. I want to make art (both the act and the finished product) accessible to people who ordinarily don’t have the means to enjoy it, and I continue looking for ways to make that happen.

What role do you think the artist has in today’s society?
Whatever damn role (s)he wants! Some artists make you think. Some make you laugh. Some shake you out of your complacency. Some make paintings to hang in your living room. Art is an act of communication that makes live more livable in a gazillion different ways.

What’s the most important advice you could give to an aspiring artist?
Trust your gut and keep going, no matter what happens. Don’t “should” yourself to death. The journey is supposed to be challenging and fun. We all question ourselves and we all screw up. When we acknowledge this without letting it stop us, we have breakthroughs.

Does age matter in art? Why or why not?
Yes, age matters, because artists grow and change throughout life. What you put out there in your twenties will not be the same thing you put out there in your seventies. Our society really doesn’t know what to make of the aging process. We older artists have a perspective that you only achieve after lots of trips around the sun. We have something to teach as we grow.

What can we look forward to from you next?
Lately I’ve been fooling around with body image. My latest finished piece is about my breasts and now I’m mosaicking my butt. This goes along with the aging theme–finding ways to appreciate my body as it morphs into “old lady mode.”

Is there anything else you would like to share about being an artist later in life?
I am grateful for the luxury of doing this at a time in my life when I don’t have to worry about making a living. I’m free to move in any direction I want, and if my art stops being an adventure, I’m free to let it go. When I was younger, I gave in to my family’s

cathyengelmarder.com