Success Spotlight - Catherine Edmunds

Serpentine is the new novel by writer and artist Catherine Edmunds, published by Circaidy Gregory Press. We are delighted to share her success and encourage our readers to support her along her journey.

Art is the proper task of life (Friedrich Nietzsche)

Painting isn’t a job – it’s the reason for Victoria’s very existence – so how is she to bridge the gap between her art and her private life? José gives her the intensity she craves, but has no interest in her as an artist. Simon offers a mature and loving relationship, but his gentleness and inability to understand her compulsions drive her to distraction. And then there’s John – a man who understands exactly who she is, but unnerves her with his perspicacity and potentially violent nature. Victoria’s friend Emma has bruises on her face and Victoria thinks she knows who put them there. 

Throughout it all she paints: tying down memories in cadmium yellow, burning canvases that reveal too much, hoping to find a way to pay the bills.  

The novel poses many questions. Why do contemporary artists do what they do? Why are they so seemingly hell-bent on self destruction? And above all, what does all that stuff in Tate Modern really mean? 

The story is set in London and the North East of England. The author knows these locations intimately. She has visited the London galleries and seen the work that has moved Victoria to tears; she’s walked on the beach at Alnmouth as the haar rolls in; and she’s been drawn back time and time again to the glory that is Durham Cathedral. Most importantly, she’s sat shivering with her easel next to the cold grey North Sea and understands the compulsion that drives Victoria: the absolute need to paint.

Serpentine is available now as an e-book in all standard formats, with the paperback version to follow in October 2012. Visit the publisher’s website for ordering information. 
http://www.circaidygregory.co.uk/serpentine.htm.

Reviews and further details can be found on the author’s website. http://www.freewebs.com/catherineedmunds/

A story with impact. Vivid, important and highly readable.  Mandy Pannett

I’m no artist, but while reading this book I felt like one. It’s a riveting journey. Angela Bodine.