About Page

I paint to vanish.

The art does not reflect the world. It reflects you.

In the stillness of creation, I find flow, clarity, and pleasure. When I paint, the world quiets—leaving only color, movement, and the murmur of something older than language. I live in the Bay Area, where fog and light slip like ghosts between the redwoods. My mediums shift—watercolor, gouache, acrylic—but what I truly offer are mirrors in disguise. Some show emotion, others strange creatures, others still—landscapes that never existed, yet feel like places you’ve left behind in dreams.

I don’t create for galleries. I don’t create for markets. I paint because I want to—and because I must.

And I share it only with those who see beyond the canvas.

I’ve walked this world with open eyes and open hands. From the tea-washed quiet of China to the fire-lit highlands of Scotland, from the contrasted-hymn of India to the hush of English stone, I’ve followed what calls to me. I have a particular love for Pakistan—one of my lovers was born there, and I cannot get enough of him or his country. I am married. I have lovers. I do not ask permission to live. I curate my time with precision and indulgence. I do what I damn well want to do.

My highest calling? Talking to people. Not small talk—real talk. The kind that opens ribcages. I am a cultivator of friendships and of secrets. A lover of nuance. A sovereign of attention. When I listen to you, you will feel it in your bones.

And if one of my paintings listens back—if it sees something in you—you may receive a message. You may not. This is not a shop. It’s a ceremony.

You do not choose the painting.
The painting chooses you.
Maybe.

Yours,

Catherine Wen