FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                CONTACT:  202-944-2310

April 15, 2008                                                                          Gwen Parish

On view:         April 18, 2003 – May 13, 2008

PARISH GALLERY PRESENTS WORKS BY Catherine Zakas

This exhibition will open with a reception from 6:00 – 8:00 pm on Friday, April 18, 2008 and will run through May 13, 2008.  Ms. Zakas’ sometimes figurative, sometimes abstract paintings are acrylic and oil on canvas.

“Her work should be approached with ones senses and sentiment.  The paintings are successfully posed between two civilizations; her Oriental psyche - rich in it’s Greekness, works in total harmony with Western rationalism in her principles of drawing and especially color composition.  The use of cold and warm colors generates a world full of passion and robustness.  Her meandering compositions are organized meticulously, yet through the Greeks’ chaotic perception of the universe.  Catherine’s instinct operates with wisdom when searching through the depths of hope and faith that man feels about what he calls GOD.  Byzantium influences emerge spontaneously while allowing room for diverse elements.  Ultimately, her compositions embrace the aroma of a global culture and the common Fate of human beings.”

Catherine Zakas was born in Greece where she remained until 1966.  She studied painting at the Heidelberg College of Art in West Berlin.  In 1980 she took further studies in Rhode Island.  She has shown her work in group shows in Greece, West Berlin, and in the United States in Rhode Island and New Mexico.  She has also had numerous One-Woman Shows in Greece, West Berlin, Heidelberg, Germany, Washington, DC, Santa Fe, NM, and Houston, TX.

Her works are in various collections around the world including the famous Vorrez Museum in Athens, Greece.