Professor Catling has won multiple awards for both his teaching at APU and internationally for his art. Of his many solo art exhibitions, his most recent were “Navigating The Deep Pelagic” at The Progress Gallery and “The Weight of Memory” at the Riverside Art Museum.
What projects are you currently working on? Please tell us a little about it. I have just installed a 30 plus year Retrospective Art Exhibition at the Riverside Art Museum. This is a rare and wonderful event for any artist to be sought after to show their work that spans many decades to add to the cultural visual dialogue.
How do you see APU’s Mission Statement intersect with your teaching style/courses? I believe that a life well-lived is a fully integrated one - where our discipline, our faith, our thinking and our actions are congruent and life-giving to those we encounter.
Do you have a study tip for students who take your courses? Show up, do the hard work of learning, and let the "mistakes" just be what they are.
What makes you passionate about teaching your particular subject? I was born an artist and my love of art and people deepened as I grew in a vital and engaging faith experience. Helping others find their way as artists and makers is why I come to work each day.
Please describe a favorite memory from your time at APU. With over 30 years at APU, it is difficult to single out a favorite. The best times are: sitting outside, a cup of coffee in a handmade clay mug, talking about life with students and colleagues.
What are your ultimate goals when it comes to teaching the next generation? My ultimate goals are to see the next generation move forward with confidence in the call of God upon their lives to be artists, to be makers, to be whole in their thinking, to see themselves as unique and important in the world because of who they are and what they contribute to the larger cultural visual dialogue.
What’s your advice to someone pursuing a career in the field you teach? Put in the long hours to grow in both skill and thoughtfulness, technique and content, matter and Spirit. Careers in art are over a lifetime, not measured in a few years.
If you were given the platform to share a piece of wisdom with the world, what would you say? Be still, find some silence, rest from your being "busy for Jesus," pay attention, listen, and take a long walk most days.
