I grew up in Kansas City where I was
able to start exploring many different art forms at a young age. I
went to college in Missoula, Montana, where I earned a B.F.A. in
Printmaking and also studied Ceramics. A few years after college, I
moved to rural Virginia to set up a studio where I have spent the
past twelve years making nature-inspired prints and functional
pottery.
Why do you like to print?
I find printmaking to be a challenging
and surprising medium. It is challenging because I really have to
think about how to break apart a particular scene into different
layers and also to anticipate how a certain texture will print. It
is surprising because my favorite prints have been the ones that are
not planned, but are the results of trying a different color scheme
or of experimenting with a new way of layering my plates. I also
like the freedom to change the colors of an image and to explore how
that changes the mood of the print.
What is your favorite print medium and
why?
I enjoy relief printing, specifically
woodcut, linocut and collagraph. I love the stark lines of the wood
and linocuts and also the looseness and the freedom to experiment of
the collagraph.
How long have you been printing and
how has your work evolved?
I have been a printmaker for more than 15
years but really dedicated myself to it about 5 years ago. I
started out making limited edition representational prints of trees,
veggies and flowers. I still use some of these images, but my work
has become much more experimental. I like to experiment with layering
these landscape images with crazy colorful patterns as the
background, exploring how color changes the feel of the print. Most
recently I have been tearing and reassembling my prints into what I
call “collagraph collages.”
What inspires you?
I am inspired by all things natural, by
trees, flowers and leaves, but also by the patterns created by blades
of grass or the ripple of water.
How do your promote your work?
Besides my Etsy site, I sell at a few
craft shows in Virginia every year and do a home sale in Kansas City
(where I am from). I sell my work at a few galleries, including j
fergeson gallery, where I currently have a solo show of my most recent
work. I am also working on developing a personal website through
artspan.com that will highlight my larger and more involved prints
and collages.
Are you working on any particular
projects now?
I just finished a solo show of my most
recent work at j fergeson gallery in Farmville, VA, and am continuing
to experiment with this body of work. The two newest prints in this
show were inspired by patchwork quilts, where the printed squares
were actually sewn together to form a quilt-like piece. I am
continuing to work with this idea and am hoping to find some other
galleries to show this new work.
Tell us one random fact about yourself.
Besides being an artist, I also grow
and sell a unique heirloom onion called Egyptian Walking Onions
through Local Harvest, which I like to describe as “Etsy for
farmers”!
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1 comment:
Thanks for posting, Kate, this is awesome. As a new member of Printsy, I'm super psyched that there's this amazing blogspot, too! YAY!
have a great March!
Joanna
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