I am to inspire wonder & appreciation for hidden history within bygone objects.

ABOUT

Cat is an ardent creative, a passionate drummer, award-winning inventive photographer and entrepreneur. She began a marketing business in 2012, has toured Canada, the U.S, Central America and Europe drumming for a variety of bands, and continues to uncover new and creative ventures within the arts.

Currently a Board Member and Director of Marketing at the Artists’ Network, a member-led and member-driven organization dedicated to helping artists with their business practice, Cat continues to volunteer her skills within the Arts community, networking and connecting with others who share a similar drive and passion for creativity.

Her high-resolution historical brick images celebrate bricks produced by local brickyards since 1889, while her WOODZ series, images of centuries old trademarked and branded log ends, pays reverence to the Canadian Logging Industry, serving as a reminder of nature's resilience and the impact humans have on our environment. Each limited edition captures the essence of our collective architecture, telling a unique story.

Cat's work is not just visually stunning, it also carries a deeper meaning. Through her photography, she invites us to appreciate the intricate details and stories behind the structures that surround us. With each piece, Cat invites us to reflect on our connection to the past and the mark we leave on the world.

Historical Bricks - Paying photographic homage to our stately skeleton.

I’m an award-winning photographer who’s always been fascinated by decaying things: crumbling buildings, forsaken institutions, derelict hotels, abandoned subway stations, deserted cities. The structural remains of these once elaborate and peopled places – their ghostly bones – are as intriguing to me as their shed historical skin.

Citybonez™️ pays photographic homage to Toronto's stately skeleton, the city's building blocks manufactured by local brickyards dating back to 1889. The images preserve relics from John Price Brick Maker on Greenwood Avenue, the Milton Pressed Brick Company in Milton, and the Don Valley Brick Works, which produced bricks in ten shades of red, seven shades of buff, olive gold, brown obsidian and mottled for such venerable landmarks as Massey Hall, Casa Loma, the Ontario Legislature and the University of Toronto's Hart House and Convocation Hall.

I discovered my reverence for bricks many years ago and became fascinated by their history and the stories each one tells. Digging through cast-offs from Toronto's subway system, skyscrapers, schools, churches, art galleries, libraries and theatres I exhume the mud bones of our city.

In times of uncertainty, I have found solace from the present by unearthing the past. The bricks I  photograph offer a fascinating glimpse into the wardrobe of our collective architecture. But more than this, these bricks – these beautiful bones of our evolving city – provide comfort. There is consolation in the planned impermanence of our built environment; in the predictable and continuous cycle of human destruction and creation.

WOODZ - Paying historical photographic reverence to the Canadian Logging Industry.

Captured in stunning detail, each photograph tells a story of the forgotten history that lies beneath the surface of rivers. As I immerse myself into the depths, I am mesmerized by the intricate patterns and textures that have developed over time on these sunken timbers. The logs, once part of a thriving logging industry, were destined to be transformed into sturdy structures, furniture, and countless other wooden creations. They were carefully marked with company trademarks, serving as a testament to the craftsmanship and dedication of the loggers who harvested them. But fate had a different plan for these logs. As they journeyed down the mighty St. Lawrence River, unpredictable currents, treacherous rapids, and unforeseen obstacles caused many of them to sink to the riverbed. Over the years, they became hidden treasures, preserved by the cool, oxygen-deprived waters.

Each log end tells a unique story. Some bear the scars of their tumultuous journey, with deep grooves and scratches etched into their surface. But it is the company trademarks that truly captivate me. These intricate designs, carefully branded onto the logs, serve as a reminder of the human touch that once shaped these timbers. They are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the loggers who risked their lives to harvest these precious resources.

As I continue my exploration of the sunken timber, I am filled with a sense of reverence and gratitude. These logs may have never reached their intended destinations, but they have found a new purpose in my photographs. They serve as a reminder of the resilience of nature and the indelible mark that humans leave on the world around us.

A bit about bricks …

Brick making in Toronto was in huge demand following the Great Toronto Fire in 1904. Certain areas in east end Toronto had ideal soil for making bricks: the Don Valley, and Greenwood Ave. Clay along Greenwood Ave. was mined from local quarries. Brick making happened at brick yards located along Greenwood Ave. By the 1930s, the clay deposits on Greenwood were almost depleted. The John Price yard remained at 395 Greenwood (by then called the Toronto Brick Company) and ended up closing in the early 1950s.

The Don Valley Brick Works /Evergreen Brick Works is a former quarry and industrial site which operated for nearly 100 years and provided bricks used to construct many very well-known Toronto landmarks, such as Casa Loma, Osgoode Hall, Massey Hall, and the Ontario Legislature. Their bricks were used mostly in Toronto, but also across the continent. The bricks made were of such good quality that they won prizes at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and the Toronto Industrial Fair in 1894. [1] Since the closure of the original factory, the quarry has been converted into a city park.

Mimico Correctional Centre had inmates extracting shale, AND manufacturing bricks. The Centre actually started out in 1913 as the Ontario Reformatory. A shale deposit on 80 hectares of land was discovered on the east side of Kipling Avenue, between Evans and Horner avenues. The province established the Toronto Brick Company (renamed Ontario Brick and Tile Company by 1920) and inmates were taught a range of skills: extracting shale from the ground, manufacturing bricks and tiles, etc.

Milton Pressed Brick Co. existed in the early 1900s and closed in 1974. Milton bricks were known to be the cream of the crop during their time, due to a technique which pressed AND backed the brick. The William McFadden farmhouse gained heritage status, which is built primarily with Milton bricks.

If you’re familiar with the Richardsonian Romanesque structure at the corner of Broadview and Queen St. E. in Toronto, known as The Broadview Hotel, then you’re familiar with its gorgeous architecture, the semi-circular terracotta panels and brick enhancements. The reliefs were supplied by Toronto Pressed Brick & Terracotta Co., which opened in 1888 and their main product was pressed brick. Unfortunately in August of 1906, a Thursday night between 9 and 10 o'clock, a fire broke out in the engine room of the TPB Co. The origin of the fire still remains a mystery, but it is thought that it may have been caused by spontaneous combustion.

Hamilton Pressed Brick was founded in 1907. In its first 13 years of operation, the company baked more than 45 million 5 pound clay bricks. Eventually the brickyard used all of the clay excavated on its site and started to bring it in from outside the city.

In early 20th century, 36 brickyards edged Toronto, all making bricks for a growing city. By 1870, there were nine brick makers in Leslieville. Between 1874 and 1880, several more opened.