“The dream world with me is so strong. It’s like my personal theatre and guide”, Cathy Carman tells Brian McAvera ahead of her exhibition in September at the Dock Arts Centre, Co Leitrim.
Brian McAvera: Had you determined to be a sculptor before you went to the National College of Art & Design (1969-73), and how useful were your experiences there, and at Dun Laoghaire Art School?
Cathy Carman: After the Leaving Cert I went to night classes at the National College of Art & Design (NCAD), three or four nights a week. I studied life drawing, stained glass, woodcarving, and art history. I was travelling up and down from Portlaoise. It was only an hour-and-a-half’s trip. Then I did Foundation at NCAD, a taste of everything, and it was the rebel period – with sit-ins and a lockout. There was one project where I had to make a frame and stretch a canvas. It was as big as I could make it. I was enjoying it but when I went to paint it, I found that I couldn’t do it! I didn’t know where to begin and we were getting close to the time of the critique.
