She is, if you will, a visual poet weaving images, symbols and archetypes into paintings that resonate in the subconscious and linger there like half-remembered dreams or the dark fairy stories with which she has such affiliation

Pip Palmer, Galleries Magazine

CATHERINE HYDE

Award-winning artist Catherine Hyde trained in Fine Art Painting at The Central School of Art in London. She is renowned for her mythopoetic paintings and lyrical books. Rendered with poetic sensitivity, her atmospheric work draws on mythology and folklore to explore the nuanced intersections between the natural world and the internal landscape. 

Originating from Greek, mythopoetic means “myth-making” or creating narratives. It is an approach to art where the artist invents their own symbols, creatures, and stories to explore identity, memory, and existential themes, rather than retelling established ancient myths. The artist is not just the producer of an image, but a participant within it, acting as a shaman or storyteller, often using their personal mythology to heal or find stability.

Technique and materials:

Catherine works with acrylic on canvas using the repeated layering of paint to represent the ‘adding and subtracting’ of memory and meaning. She further builds the surface with metal leaf, mica flakes, coins, and seeds to connect the work to themes of earth, decay, and renewal.

Themes and Imagery:

Her work frequently explores thresholds, the liminal spaces between waking and dreaming, dusk and dawn, life and death. In her paintings of flora and fauna, she uses archetypal imagery such as the Hare, Stag, Fish, the Green Man, and the Trickster to create narratives and suggest stories.

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‘Shakespeare said that art is a mirror held up to nature. And that’s what it is. The nature is your nature, and all of these wonderful poetic images of mythology are referring to something in you. When your mind is trapped by the image out there so that you never make the reference to yourself, you have misread the image.’

Campbell, J. (1988). 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘺𝘵𝘩.

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Catherine’s ‘studio in the sky’ is at the top of her Victorian home in Cornwall, where she lives with Miles, her design engineer husband, and their much-loved dog, Teddy the scoundrel.

Catherine Hyde’s online collections feature the complete catalogue of her fine art reproductions. These limited-edition museum-quality prints are photographed, printed, and signed by Catherine.  

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If you are a gallery or shop interested in Catherine Hyde’s work, please email us at chydeart@gmail.com for details.

STUDIO OPEN BY APPOINTMENT – PLEASE CONTACT US HERE

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ARTIST STATEMENT

A Sense of Wonder

I grew up in the ancient port town of Gravesend in North Kent, experiencing a more urban than rural childhood but with the freedom, as was common in the late sixties, to roam and play outside all day. This, combined with a home full of books, visits to museums and galleries, and outings to castles and prehistoric sites, was rich fuel for my imagination.

As a child, I was lucky enough to be a precocious reader. I galloped through Grimm (with terror at my heels), constantly revisited the melancholy world of Hans Christian Andersen, and gleefully recited the poetry of AA Milne and Spike Milligan.  I read everything but found I was most drawn to writers like John Masefield, L.M. Boston, Eleanor Farjeon, Elizabeth Goudge, C.S. Lewis, and the mighty Alan Garner – stories infused with layers of myth, archetype, and magic.

Having studied A-level Art, English Literature, and History, I trained in Fine Art Painting at the Central School of Art in London.  I fell in love with Central the moment I set foot in it.  The serious grandeur of the building with its sweeping staircases, massive studios and seductive smell of oil paint and egg and chips completely entranced me. After three hard but amazing years, during which I learned how to paint and how to make mistakes, I was only certain that I was ready to leave city life.  My parents had moved down to the Kent/Sussex border, so I went ‘home,’ and my love affair with the countryside began.

The move from London, exchanging city noise for the quiet of trees and gardens, was like a balm. Bruised from the intensity of the degree, I went back to drawing: jugs of flowers, fruits and patterned fabric, my family, myself, the cat. I baked cakes and tried to make sense of everything.  As I worked and walked, finding the cycles of the lengthening and shortening days reassuring, I slowed down and tuned into myself.  I read, becoming increasingly fascinated by folklore, the Green Man,  and the earthy magic of the hare.  I discovered Ted Hughes, Robert Graves, John Cowper Powys, and looked afresh at the Neo-Romantic painters of the 20th century.

Being in the landscape, my paintings and drawings began filling with symbols and archetypes, both real and imagined, layering meanings, creating atmosphere. Above all, I fell in love with the liminal space between twilight and dusk, dawn and sunrise, where the edges of the world seem tremulous and uncertain.

For over forty years, I have worked to create a personal vision that celebrates the cycle of the seasons and responds to the natural world with the same wonder I felt as a child listening to the blackbird’s song strike colour into a gloomy afternoon and watching the moon, luminous and exacting, rise over the garden wall.

Moving to Helston in 2001 with my husband and two daughters was a dream fulfilled.  Surrounded by the sea, Cornwall is an ancient land filled with songs and stories, and its unique light and mists are a constant source of inspiration and joy.

BOOKS

With my love of books, poetry and children’s literature, it is unsurprising that I have always been drawn toward Fine Art Illustration. In 2009 I was asked to create a series of paintings in response to Carol Ann Duffy’s fairytale, The Princess’s Blankets.  Being asked to respond to a text in this way added another depth to my work and led to collaborating with Jackie Morris and others before working on books of my own.

My latest book Darkling, The Owl’s Song is a night poem accompanied by intensely drawn and layered paintings. The work explores the liminal transition as sunset sinks into twilight and drains into darkness. With moonrise, the woodland is transformed into a landscape of contrast and pattern where uncertain shadows suggest deeper spaces inhabited by night’s creatures. The poem’s voice is the tawny owl who inhabits and is one with the woodland and the night.

 

 

MIXED AND SOLO SHOWS

Ainscough Contemporary London

Beaux Arts Bath

Charleston Farmhouse Sussex

Elementum Gallery, Sherborne

Falmouth Art Gallery

Foss Fine Art London

Illustration Gallery London

Iona House Gallery Woodstock

John Noott Gallery, Broadway

Lemon Street Gallery Truro

Lighthouse Gallery, Penzance

Mall Galleries London

Rostra and Rooksmoor Bath

Towner Gallery Eastbourne

Twenty Twenty Gallery, Much Wenlock

Yew Tree Gallery, Morvah, Cornwall

 

BOOKS

DARKLING, THE OWL’S SONG

A night poem accompanied by intensely drawn and layered paintings exploring the transition of dusk into night as the light sinks and drains into darkness. With moonrise the woodland is transformed into a landscape of contrast and pattern where uncertain shadows suggest deeper spaces. Using inks, acrylics and pouring glazes she builds on and scratches in the surface of canvas and clayboard inviting the viewer to step further in.

Catherine’s signature animals: hare, barn owl and deer are here joined by rook, fox, otter and badger and most particularly by the tawny owl who sits and watches, who sits and listens, and calls twilight to him.

 

  • SHORTLISTED for the Holyer an Gof Award for Poetry 2025

  • Apollo (an imprint of Bloomsbury) Non-fiction: Nature poetry

  • ‘Pairing stunning art with lyrical poetry, this ode to the owl is deeply compelling on multiple levels, ‘ Barnes and Noble

  • ‘Darkling is a magnificent praise song that honours both the darkness and the owl. Lyrical in both word and image, it is a wild triumph.’ Jackie Morris

    ‘Step into a mesmerizing world of enchantment with Darkling: The Owl’s Song by the acclaimed poet and visual artist, Catherine Hyde. This exquisite book invites readers on a nocturnal journey, revealing the hidden beauty and mysteries that come alive after dusk. With a unique blend of poetry and stunning illustrations, this book captures the magic of wildlife.

    The pages turn into a canvas of vibrant imagery that complements the lyrical prose, creating an immersive experience that sparks imagination and curiosity. This book is more than just a story; it’s an invitation to appreciate the enchanting aspects of the natural world, particularly the elusive beauty found in the night.

    As a celebrated work in the children’s fiction category, Darkling: The Owl’s Song stands out due to its striking artistic presentation and the emotional depth of its themes. Additionally, this book has garnered attention for its artistic merit, making it an ideal gift for special occasions.

    With its enchanting narrative and breathtaking illustrations, Darkling: The Owl’s Song is sure to resonate with readers and enrich any bookshelf, encouraging exploration of the wildlife that thrives in the shadows.’

    Sherlock and Pages

THE BEE AND THE SUN

  • WINNER of the Holyer an Gof Award for Poetry 2022

  • The Bee and The Sun: a calendar of herbs by Catherine Hyde: Zephyr 2021

THE HARE AND THE MOON

  • The Hare and the Moon by Catherine Hyde:  Zephyr

THE STAR TREE

  • The Star Tree by Catherine Hyde: Frances Lincoln 

  • SHORTLISTED for the 2017 Cambridgeshire Children’s Picture Book Award

  • NOMINATED for The Kate Greenaway Award

LITTLE EVIE IN THE WILD WOOD

  • Little Evie in the Wild Wood by Jackie Morris: Frances Lincoln

  • NOMINATED for the Kate Greenaway Award

FIREBIRD

  • Firebird by Saviour Pirrotta: Templar

  • AWARDED an Aesop Accolade by the American Folklore Society

  • NOMINATED for the Kate Greenaway Award

THE PRINCESS’S BLANKETS

  • The Princess’s Blankets by Carol Ann Duffy: Templar

  • WINNER of the English Association Best Illustrated book Key Stage 2

  • NOMINATED for UKLA and The Kate Greenaway Award

THE SNOW ANGEL

  • The Snow Angel by Lauren St John

  • Cover art and interior black and white illustrations

ILLUSTRATIONS:

  • Editions 1 – 5: Elementum Journal

     

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BIO

b.1960 Dartford, Kent

1978/9: Foundation studies, Medway College of Design, Kent

1979/82: BA (Hons) Fine Art Painting, Central School of Art, London

 

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Explore THE CATHERINE HYDE COLLECTION