Charles T. Low Photography

Blog #103

The energy, to me the wildness, of Behal and Catchpole's abstract painting, is something you just have to see in person.

And then of course you will find some quieter works, more peaceful, more white-space; they titled an exhibition, in late 2024, Refuge.

Any of their paintings will draw you in, asking you to look longer, more deeply, to wonder what it all means.

And they created their works like that by intention. And while Steve and Jeannie may (or may not) have had a theme or message in mind as they made each work, you will not likely get them to tell you; that is up to the viewer.

You might also guess at motifs from the titles, in which matters of power and privilege recur, of social justice, of fear and solace, of ... naturally ... refuge.

You might guess at sex.

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When Jeannie and Steve, having collaborated on artistic projects as young adults (she in graphic design, he in photography), met again in mid-life, then, by their own description, the sparks flew immediately. They already knew and respected each other, and now they added in passion.

Responding to some quick photos I made of them, Jeannie chose one because "... we’re both laughing because we really do LIKE each other as much as we LOVE each other, and enjoy each other’s company. This image is an honest representation of how we feel … and from that comes the ability to share our creative processes."

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So, the process: perhaps easiest to describe the apparent contradictions.

The paint together, working on one canvas, except when they don't; some works have only one name on them.

I find their art very bright, colourful, bold and full, except for the quieter pieces, more spare, mostly black on white, largely empty space.

Any individual work will often have some underlying structure, with considerable impulsivity overlain.

They are all non-representational abstracts, in which you will absolutely see people and objects (I do!), and whether that happened simply randomly, or whether they put them there subconsciously, they don't always know.

Nor do they want to.

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Steve emphasizes that he prefers the focus on the art itself, not on the story behind it.

The oft-told tale, however, is compelling — explore it in the volumes of information at behalcatchpole.com — of two people, born with artistic imperatives which brooked no denial. The circuitous route from there to here required many things to fall into place, including their mid-life reunion, marriage, and art-collaboration.

Then they worked and lived and painted for some years in Sun Valley, Idaho, where they found a vibrant arts community and a very art-attuned clientèle.

A pivotal piece for them, High Desert Traffic (currently on their website's homepage slideshow, the one with them cuddling below it), their first joint work, occurred because Jeannie had stalled on it. Steve woke her at 2:00 a.m., saying that he had an idea, and it had to be right then. May he paint on her canvas?

Although she said yes, with his first splash, Jeannie screamed. (She seems to have accustomed to it better in the interval.)

They essentially had it finished by 4:00 a.m. (And then Jeannie had to go to work that day!)

Ending up in Gananoque, they met Dennis O'Connor, owner of The O'Connor Gallery, which resides on the first floor of The Art House, the third floor of which is the BECA studio/living quarters. (The second floor is a vacation-rental.)

Dennis represents them, and displays their work. He and Jeannie spearhead the vitally-important Gananoque Arts Network (GAN), and work on the highly successful local iteration of Ontario Culture Days, so these people don't get much rest.

And of course the three of them have all become fast friends.

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Steve and Jeannie consider themselves retired now, and yet they cannot but produce new work. During one interview, Steve painted, alternating between two canvases, as we three talked.

Everyone simply has to see what they create, simply astonishingly impactful works, so many of which now grace walls across the planet.

You will likely find yourself joining their throngs of admirers, and you will absolutely feel compelled to look deeper.

Charles T. Low

P.S. I want Baby Love for myself; but go ahead: buy it.

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Charles T. Low
Photographer
Blog #103
2025-09-15

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