About
Catlyn Griswell was born in Georgia and raised in Montana and now is a dancer and a photographer located in Seattle, Washington. Both dance and photography were first self-taught until college level. For dance, she studying at Southern Utah University, and after two years she transferred to Cornish College of the Arts. Here she graduated in 2018 with a BFA in Dance with Magna Cum Laude honors. She has worked with choreographers Charlotte Boye-Christensen, Wade Madsen, Gerard Theoret, and Bruno Roque. In 2018 she performed in Hannah Cavallaro’s work “Oil & Water” which was a 3-hour durational work exploring ideas of plasticity. In the past year, she has had the pleasure to be a company member of Fothun+Rome Dance Theater for one season and Intrepidus Dance for two seasons.
Behind the camera, Catlyn learned how to photograph herself which taught her technical understanding as well as patience in obtaining the perfect shot. She took her first photography class at Southern Utah University in 2015 where she received instructions and worked on precise projects, one of these projects was in collaboration with dancers. After that project, she focused mainly on dance bodies being captured by her lenses. Catlyn has an appreciation for capturing a moment of transformation and unexceptional in portraits of dancers. Catlyn mainly focuses with natural lighting and the elements of changing dimension and depth of field.
Photo by En Avant Photography
Artist Statement
I am an imperfect artist. I see imperfection like a blurred photograph, the focus is unclear, maybe a general concept yet no detail to examine. I find that no clear focus, allows more investigation to unravel, more openness to the impossible, and a desire to be unreal because what is wrong and right is not necessary.
I did not grow up learning how to dance, but instead I dreamed of what that might feel like. I was a seed in a cement crack, desiring to reach my roots to the outer soil. My roots were not strong enough to support me yet I still grew. This passion lead me to become an artist, and even farther a desire to discover an artistic education. With years of experience not available to me it appeared as a huge obstacle at the beginning of my artistic journey. It took me a while to fully understand that this late evolution was one of my most treasured moments to finding my individual artistry. I do not focus first on the technical elements but instead look for discovery of how my body responses naturally. Finding a flow in my body and in my mind.
​
Photo by De Carbon Azul
Photo by Brett Love
Dance Resume
Photography Resume
Photo by Brett Love
