Cathe Burris

June 24, 1949 – February 17, 2011

Catherine Burris was a unique individual, mother, wife, and friend who dedicated her life to art and her community. She shared her art and time with many people here in Columbus and left us with many memories. She also left behind the legacy of true imagination, passion for art and compassion for others. She touched many people; fellow artist and friend, Bobbie K Owens, was able to explain the magic that she shared with many us, “For Catherine Burris, the instinctive need for her as an Artist was to transform her experience into image. This is a very mysterious phenomenon. You don’t arrive at this place as an Artist with discussions that pass through circuits of knowledge in your brain. You become that great Artist by the inexplicable and vital forces that pass through the circuits of the Heart and Soul. Catherine did this very well.”

She was always involved with the community in Columbus Indiana. Her public work ranges from several local logos and murals (Ethnic Expo, the Dairy Queen Mural, Sandcrest Medical), to heavily involved projects from the heart, including collaborations with the cancer society, hospice and she also worked with both troubled teens, and VSI (Very Special Arts). She has work in the permanent collections at the Indianapolis State Museum, The Kinsey Institute, and The City Hall of Columbus, IN. Locally; she designed the Seal of Bartholomew County and numerous logos for community organizations and events.

Her private artwork was always done for herself and stemmed from her feelings, her thoughts, dreams, and fears. Her work was usually narrative, and beckoned the viewer to “look closer and listen to the story”

“Sense and nonsense. Real and the imagined. Familiarity and the bizarre….Look closer and listen to the story” – taken from the Artists Statement

Photo #1 -  “The Messenger” – (done after her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and just before she was diagnosed with breast cancer).  Photo #2 – “FORM 40”, Assemblage.