Cathy Stanley | Fish Hoek - Cape Town | Paper Paintings

Cathy Stanley is a South African papermaker whose paper-painting practice is rooted in vulnerability, fragility and connection.

Her experience as a breast cancer survivor deepened her awareness of the interdependence of life and death, both within the human body and in the natural environment. These cycles form an important part of her artistic practice.

Working with handmade paper, colour, fragmentation and drawings created with her non-dominant hand, Cathy explores uncertainty, resilience and the imperfect nature of lived experience. Plants and beloved community are recurring subjects in her work, reflecting the relationships that sustain and shape us.

Her process embraces unpredictability and allows the materials to carry their own history, texture and emotional weight.

Follow Cathy

📸 Instagram: @cathy.stanley