Martin Hayes says of her album:
I've known Catharine for many years as a painter of traditional Irish music themes and people. I was aware that she also played the fiddle, though I had always assumed it was something she pursued casually. What a lovely surprise, then, to hear her debut recording and discover that she is a very fine fiddle player. Not only a fine fiddler, but a musician of real taste and deep understanding of the tradition, evident in her thoughtful tune choices and sensitive interpretations. This is a warm, authentic recording of traditional Irish fiddle playing.
Catharine Kingcome is a narrative portrait painter whose work is in collections in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Germany & Japan. She is dedicated to reviving the true meaning of contemporary art; work that is being produced now, in whatever style each individual artist chooses to use.
Born in Bristol in 1956, she trained as a graphic designer at Bristol Polytechnic 1974-78 before working as a designer in London. In 1979 she returned to Bristol, and 1981 moved to Devon where, for the next 8 years, she painted and taught canal narrowboat painting. In 1989 she began a fine art course at Exeter College of Art, graduating in 1991 with a BA Hons degree, and exhibited with the Brotherhood of Ruralists.
Irish traditional music & musicians became a major influence on her work in 1992, and she immersed herself in the music, moving to Ireland in 1994, and produced three series of paintings shown as solo touring exhibitions in 1993, 1997 & 2000, each opening at the Kennedy Gallery, Dublin.
From Ireland, she moved to London in 2001 where she researched for a series of paintings on salsa dancers. These were exhibited in 2004. A selection were shown at the Belgravia Gallery, London in 2005.
After moving to Birmingham in 2003, she has produced many individual paintings on a variety of themes, also commissions, both paintings and drawings. She lives in Birmingham with her husband Howard.