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Unveiling the Inner Artist: InterArts Cabinet of Curiosity

Catherine Raupe

Catherine Raupe is an artist whose medium mainly focuses on painting. She does, however, tend to dabble in other mediums such as creative writing, music, and dance. Her paintings are typically done in acrylic using the wet-on-wet technique. Catherine likes to leave the message of her art up to the viewer; she enjoys hearing what other people’s interpretation of her art is before they know what her intended message is.

"Lucid Dreams," below, is a piece created by Catherine in the fall 2020 InterArts course.

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Miniatur Wörterbuch
By Catherine Raupe
The Miniatur Wörterbuch Englisch-Deutsch (miniature dictionary English-German) was my Oma’s when she lived in Berlin, Germany. My Oma, Isle Irmgard Hartmann, was born and raised in Berlin. Her father was a very successful merchant in Berlin, and she was able to attend private school. When World War II began, her father’s business began to decline in sales, and her family became extremely poor. They continued to live in Berlin during the war and struggled for food, often having to search for scraps. My Oma was 17 years old when World War II finished. When American troops entered Berlin, they began to give out ration cards to those who were working. She got a job at an American Troops Mess Hall as a cashier, where she was able to learn English.
Finding work after the war was extremely difficult, and my Oma knew that her employment options would be better if she could speak and write English fluently. She eventually got a good-paying job with the US Military for Graves and Registration after studying English. She processed and recorded the names of US Airmen who were shot down during the war. The dictionary was given to her by an American soldier, who we only know by his first name, Johnny, and she carried it in her handbag while working from 1946 to 1948. The information of the Airmen was recorded from their dog tags that were sent to her office as graves were located in villages and towns. Her job was to write to the families of the Airmen in America asking if they would like the bodies to be sent to them for burial in America. Most of the families requested that the bodies be buried at one of the many memorial graves in Europe. My Oma eventually left Germany on a Troopship in 1948 after marrying my Grandfather, a US Military soldier from Boston. The ship left from Bremen, and it was a 13-day journey to America. The ship docked in Ellis Island, New York, where her name was recorded.
The Miniatur Wörterbuch was most likely published sometime in the early 1940s. The writing on the publishing page says “Alle Rechte vorbehalten Mentor Verlag Berlin. Druck: A. Raabe, Berlin. Printed in Germany,” this translates to “All rights reserved by Mentor Verlag Berlin. Printing: A. Raabe, Berlin. Printed in Germany.” The dictionary is 2” x 1 ½ “ and 511 words. I could not find any information on printing and publishing as the only information that appeared while I was searching were other Miniatur Wörterbücher. On eBay I found many other dictionaries such as, Italienisch-Deutsch, Spanisch-Deutsch, and Französisch-Deutsch.

My Oma kept this dictionary as to her it helped pave her future. Without the dictionary, she says she would not have had the confidence in her work at the US Military. She told me she continued to carry it in her handbag for her first few years in the US to remind her how she got here and to continue to perfect her English. I am very fortunate that my Oma is still alive and well at 93 years old and can still recount her youth and journey to the US in such detail. It is remarkable that so much depended on a miniature dictionary.
Dara Celtic Knot in Stone
By Catherine Raupe
Celtic refers to people who lived in Ireland, Britain, and Western Europe from 500BC to 400 AD. It was a cultural influence that spread from the Alps and Central Europe. It replaced the Bronze Age in Ireland. The Irish Celts used the knots as symbols and signs that had powerful meanings in their lives and culture. The stories behind the knots have been passed down through stories and folklore from one generation to the next. This is how Ireland came to have such a rich culture. Most scholars believe that the knots and symbols came into existence for secular and religious reasons and purposes. Ancient Celts used the intricate knots as ornamentation for monuments, manuscripts, and temples.
            Typically, the knots are based on seven creations. Man, plant, mammal, bird, insect, reptile, and fish. An attribute that the knots tend to have in common is that they symbolize a continuous cycle of life. The detailed weaving of the knots represents eternity and the surrounding life, including the past, present, and future. The appearance of knot patterns occurred in the third and fourth centuries AD. This form of art was also seen in Byzantine architecture, Coptic art, Islamic art, and Celtic art. Around 450AD, spirals, key patterns, braids, plaits, knots, and step patterns became recurring motifs in Celtic art. This was also before there was any Christian influence on the Celts.
              The Dara Celtic Knot's origins can be traced back to the Irish word "doire," which means "oak tree." The Knot itself is associated with the root system of the oak tree. Oak trees were seen as symbols of destiny, power, strength, wisdom, leadership, and endurance. The roots symbolized the inner strength and divine resources that humans possess. The Knot's symbolism is the same as the oak tree. It is also believed to encourage people to unite during the tough times to get through the challenges of life with each other. It also aims to remind humans of their divine inner strength that can help them gain stability during trying times.
            I chose this Knot as a gift as I felt during this current time of the COVID-19 pandemic, it felt appropriate to gift someone something that could bring hope. When choosing which Knot to carve, I researched what each Knot meant. I decided on the Dara Knot based on the fact that it symbolizes strength. As I conducted more research and found out the Knot's deeper meaning, it seemed to fit the current world situation perfectly. I chose to carve the Knot into stone as when I am driving through Ireland and happen across old ruins, the knots are often carved into the stone. Stone is weaved into Irish life with fields bordered and dotted with stone walls that may have been standing for thousands of years. They are unique in that the stones are laid and built without cement or mortar to stabilize them. How they are laid is what stabilizes them.
            I have never carved stone before, but I found it quite enjoyable, albeit tricky. Researching stone carving and the different techniques was extremely helpful, and now I have a stone carving kit for when I decide to carve stone again. I also watched many videos on stone carving, which proved to be quite satisfying.
Ornithology Slide
By Catherine Raupe
Herbert Keightley Job worked as an economic ornithologist in Connecticut from 1912 to 1924. Ornithology is a branch of zoology that is the scientific study of birds. Job established an ornithological station in Amston, Connecticut, and also served as a field agent for the Audubon Society in South Carolina. Herbert Job was an early promoter for bird conservation. He saw birds as creations of God and believed that citizens had a “holy obligation” to protect them. Job followed in the footsteps of John James Audubon; however, instead of hunting the birds, he took pictures of them. His 1905 book Wild Wings gained the attention of Theodore Roosevelt, who then created the Key West National Wildlife Refuge in Florida in 1908. Job was able to accompany Roosevelt on a visit to the breaches of Louisiana. On this trip, he took pictures of birds which are now archived in the Library of Congress.

It was quite challenging to choose only one slide from the collection as there are so many wonderful birds in it. Realistically I would not be able to include the whole collection in our cabinet as there are 770 slides. I ultimately settled on a slide of purple finches titled “Purple Finches Eat Sunflower Seed, Derby, Connecticut.” I was initially drawn to this photo because of the bright red head of the bird in the foreground. I found it quite striking, and it immediately drew my eye. As I looked at the slide in more detail, I noticed how there is quite a bit of photographic layering. The green plants (which I think are evergreen sprigs) layering combined with the layering of the four finches, was something that my eye thoroughly enjoyed.

I recently have wanted to try my hand at specimen and bird sketches. My original thought was to create a collection of bird sketches in response to the slides; however, I remembered a new form of art I had recently stumbled across called tea spill art. The process is simple, you make tea and spill it on paper of your choice. I used a cold-pressed watercolor paper so that the piece would have some texture. I used Irish Breakfast tea for a rich color and poured it onto the paper, trying not to pay attention to how the spills were forming. I wanted the spills to be natural and not manipulated by me into specific shapes.

After spilling the tea and letting it dry overnight, I sketched some in my sketchbook. I wanted to practice sketching the birds first as I mainly focus on the human figure in my drawings and was not well versed in the figure of the bird. When I felt I had a reasonable understanding of sketching birds, I used a black gel pen and sketched birds on the tea spills. I had a few birds that I wanted to include in mind such as the finches, barn owl, and young mallards. I would look at the tea spills to see which bird would fit in which spill best. It was a very enjoyable process and something I would enjoy doing again.
Lantern Slide citation
Job H. Keightly, "Purple Finches Eat Sunflower Seed, Derby, Connecticut overall," 4 x3.25 in, Watkinson Library.
What Flames Are in the Night 7 Object 4 Submission plain 2021-05-13T04:29:53+00:00
By Catherine Raupe

I spent quite some time thinking about the prompt for my last object, mostly on where I am currently in time and place. Thinking of where I am in this moment I think about my story.

As I reflect on this and without dismissing all that is happening around us COVID, vaccines, finals etc., I have to acknowledge that I am comfortably basking in the creation of a short story. This story has floated through my mind for quite a few weeks, and I am using it for my creative writing class. The collage represents the aspects of the story and processes that have consumed my mind. As the story develops my mind is totally consumed to the extent that I rush other things so I can get back to my story. Some might say this is escapism but not for me; for me this story swirling in my head is all me, it animates me, excites me, satisfies me.

It is a magical, 1800s, mysterious short story. I sketched out what I envision the Fire Sprites to look like. I describe them as hauntingly beautiful in my story. They are something that you want to look away from, but at the same time you are entirely fascinated by them. I imagine the Castle in the story to look like Clontarf Castle in Dublin, Ireland. That is where the inspiration for my story came from. I was in Ireland a few summers ago and we were staying in Clontarf Castle. Near the parking lot there was a tree with what looked to be a mouth in it. Next to the tree was a statue of a lion. On both sides of the door there were two more statues of lions. I have always had a love for stories that focus on castles and mystical lands and I knew instantly that I wanted to create my own story that had a magical tree with a mouth and statues of lions.

I sat down at my desk with my laptop, notebook, and cup of tea. The brainstorming and outlining process is always a difficult one for me. I want to jump straight into the writing and do as little preparation before as I possibly can. I believe it’s because I have too many ideas in my head to get down onto paper that I dislike the planning process. I jotted down a few basic notes on paper,
- Clontarf Castle
- There’s a tree with a mouth in it
- The town is burned down. From what?
- It was the princess’s fault because she has powers, but nobody knows that.
It was off of these four notes that my story began. When I sat down to write the story, I began by describing the castle and town in its former glory. Then the story went in an entirely new direction. Often times this is what happens when I write. I have a basic idea of what I want the story to be and then that idea completely changes, and new twists and turns are added in. My inspiration for this story started from Clontarf Castle and the idea of a princess with the ability to control fire. It then changed to a burned down village and mythical creatures living in the forest, a mysterious light in a window, and an unknown character at the end.

The characters in my stories have always lived in my mind. I don’t look for inspiration for characters from people I know in real life. The characters have always been a part of me, they have simply been waiting for when I need them. The characters Amelia and Edwin are characters I had been wanting to use for a while, but I needed a story for them. When the story began to form in my head, I knew they would be the perfect characters for it.

My writing process tends to be messy and unorganized, a stark contrast to how I normally am. I feel however, that this is how the writing process naturally is. Elements of the story change drastically, characters are abandoned, whole pages are rewritten. I planned for Amelia to have powers, instead I created a mythical creature. I planned for the mysterious character at the end to be revealed, instead I kept it hidden. Creating the collage for this assignment has been very helpful. Seeing aspects of the story drawn out in-front of me makes it easier to then describe them in the story. I truly feel I am very lucky that my mind can willfully imagine things such as my story. It is relaxing and exciting and not escapism, just all me where I am at in the moment.
Excerpt from What Flames Are in the Night:
“I have a feeling you are perfectly capable of protecting yourself,” he responded, a slight grin appearing on his usually stoic face. He was right. The bow in my hand and quiver on my back were evidence of that. The walk through the forest was peaceful. No creatures or animals or other people. Soon we would return to the camp, full of people from the town that once lived. Something caught the corner of my eye, a blur. We both stopped; he drew his sword as I knocked an arrow into my bow. It was circling us, finding out who was weaker.

It stopped in front of me. It was hauntingly beautiful. It darted around in front of me, its wings creating a buzzing sound, like a hummingbird. It held itself with an elegance I could only strive for. Its hair floated around, licking the sky. It almost seemed like its hair was alive. It flickered and fluttered around like a fire. Its face was thin, its cheekbones protruding. Its eyes were a solid black, only a small hint of white in them. It was one of the monsters from the tales. Edwin moved from behind me, but I motioned for him to stop. This monster was not here to attack us. It stalked backward, disappearing into the trees.

“What was that?” Edwin asked as he moved next to me.

“A Fire Sprite,” I replied.

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