Nurture - the process of caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something
Why I Feel the Need to Create
I’ve always loved making things and working with my hands. The process of creating helps me relax. Some of my favorite days are in the studio when I find the joy of being in the moment and I lose all track of time. I love exploring different creative processes. Experimenting with new ideas and techniques keeps my practice fresh and exciting. I’ve always been a collector; gathering natural and man-made items such as twigs, leaf skeletons, coffee filters, candy wrappers, rusty metal and security envelopes. I enjoy the challenge of finding a use for these everyday items that are no longer wanted by anyone else and give them new life and meaning in my work. For creative ideas to flow I need a sense of peace, so taking time to be outside in nature is very important to me. Tending my garden and observing the beauty of my surroundings is what keeps me connected and grounded. I feel fortunate to live in a beautiful coastal area where there are many places to explore and to be inspired by. Some miscellaneous materials that may find there way into my work
How Our Salon Nurtures Me
Our salon meetings are a non-judgmental and supportive place where we discuss our accomplishments as well as our struggles. It helps to get feedback on my art and workshop ideas but it’s just as rewarding and inspiring to hear about what everyone else is working on. At times, it pushes me outside of my comfort zone and it’s at those times that I grow and learn so much. Meeting regularly as we do, keeps me accountable to the goals that I set and also keeps me moving forward no matter how big or small those steps may be. More About Kathy
She grew up in Connecticut and later moved to Southern California where she lived for 13 years. A decision to be closer to family brought her back to the east coast and she now lives in Waterford, CT. Her small but bright and cozy home studio that sometimes expands into the nearby linen closet is shared with her shy and sun-loving rescue cat Belle. Her garden has become an important part of her art practice when she discovered and fell in love with the process of eco-printing. Since most of her gardening experience was from the Mediterranean climate zone of Southern California, after moving back to Connecticut she took the Master Gardner program through the University of CT to learn about gardening in the very different climate zone of New England. Her garden now supplies an abundant source of inspiration and plant material to work with. Making one-of-a-kind botanical prints is a satisfying way to share the plants she nurtures during each growing season. Kathy attended Western Connecticut State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design. Her work has been shown nationally as well as in local galleries including the Mystic Arts Center, The Slater Museum’s Converse Gallery, The Red House Cultural Art Center and Spectrum Art Gallery. She has had work published in Kolaj Magazine, The Norwich Bulletin, Sound & Country Magazine, The New London Day and Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine. She teaches local and online workshops in a variety of topics including collage, eco-printing and rust printing. You can see a description of current offerings here. |
Creative StatementI'm an artist and teacher with a passion for plants, paper, rusty metal, and creating a second life for discarded items by repurposing them into my art. It gives me great joy to share ideas and information that may inspire and guide others in finding their own creative voice.
Research, experimentation and discovery fuel my practice. I work with the natural processes of eco-printing and rusting to create many of the papers I use in my collage and mixed media work. The often-unpredictable nature of these processes dictates my color palette. It also takes away some of the creative control, which can lead to pleasantly surprising results and sometimes a path in which to explore new work. recent work"I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting materials, I can’t help but ask the question “Can I reuse this?” before throwing anything away.". in the studioeco-printed papersAnything new I plant in my garden has to pass the eco-print test. |