Having grown up on the Isle of Wight, creative professional Caty Macaulay will open her first solo exhibition, Surface Tension, at Peer Studios and Gallery CIC in Ventnor from 21st November to 5th December 2026.
Finding a creative style
Bringing together work from different stages of Caty’s creative life, Surface Tension combines bold colour, texture and large-scale abstract paintings with earlier, more technical pieces, charting the process of discovering her own artistic style.
Having spent more than a decade working in marketing and building brands for other people, Caty saw an interesting parallel in trying to understand her own creative identity.
“I spend so much of my working life helping other people understand who they are and how they want to put themselves out into the world. It turns out doing that for yourself is much harder.
“I haven’t completely found my style yet, and that’s the point. Rather than waiting until everything feels perfectly coherent, I’m putting it on the walls and showing the process of figuring it out.”
Balancing a career and creativity
For Caty, who grew up on the Island, the exhibition is also about showing that a professional career and creative life don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
“You can build a career you’re proud of and still paint, make things simply because you love making them and put those things out into the world.”
Click on images to see larger versions
A space for independent exhibitions
Surface Tension is being hosted by Peer Studios and Gallery CIC, an independent creative space on Pier Street managed by April Dixcey, alongside Director Francis Safaie-Brown.
Francis first visited Ventnor for Ventnor Fringe Festival before moving permanently to the Island from Austria four years ago, drawn by the town’s creative spirit and close-knit community. Peer Studios and Gallery was created to provide a space for independent exhibitions, art classes and other creative events.
April said,
“This is exactly what we created Peer Studios for, giving people the space and opportunity to share their creativity with others. We’re really excited to have Caty exhibiting with us.”
Exhibition details
Original artwork and limited-edition prints will be available to purchase, with prices starting from £15, offering the chance to take home a piece from the exhibition or give something a little more original this Christmas.
Surface Tension runs at Peer Studios and Gallery CIC, 29A Pier Street, Ventnor PO38 1SX, from Saturday 21st November to Saturday 5th December 2026.
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9.30am–4pm. Entry is free.
News shared by Caty in her own words. Ed
