Cate Austin to exhibit at Vintage House in Sonoma

Sonoma artist Cate Austin will be the first artist to display works at Vintage House when her exhibit opens on Wednesday, Sept. 19.

“We’re honored to display the work of Cate Austin as our inaugural artist,” says Priscilla Essert, executive director of Vintage House. “She is a gifted painter and an international teacher of illustration who uses light, history and spirituality to inform her work.”

Austin says of her work, “My images… refer to the idea of individuality, or the vantage point; the peculiarity and occasional isolation of the personal experience.” She considers herself a painter of “abstract expressionism,” exploring a convergence of land and sky, of translucence and opaqueness… of the infinite and the finite. Her materials include Venetian plaster, oils, pure raw pigment, as well as collage - all in combination with translucent glazes of linseed oil, mineral spirits and beeswax.

Austin is part of the “Wednesday Night Out” events recently initiated at Vintage House from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday nights.

Vintage House, usually open only during the day until 4 p.m., decided to offer a variety of events every Wednesday in September as a pilot program. Live music, an open mic, Monopoly in several languages, astrology, a writing course and iPhone/iPad instruction are among the events.

Most events are free.