Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Childs.
Kate, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Looking back on my childhood, I recognize how instrumental my mother was in getting me involved with cultivating creative expression from an early age. She enabled me to take other lessons other than school where I learned to read music, play the piano and was introduced to visual art. She made sure that I developed a solid background in art and music.
Growing up in a small town in rural New Jersey, she also made sure that I got out into nature. The landscape there was stunningly beautiful. It was so green and lovely, with rolling hills and lush foliage. The elements smile on that area of the country and my love for nature blossomed there. Natural beauty has become a primary inspiration for my work and even now, my paintings still bring me back to that special place.
Throughout my life, I have fallen in love with art time and time again. When I was 16 years old, my high school art teacher sent a letter home to my parents. She expressed that the best possible outcome for my future would be as an artist and therefore I should go to art school. Although I did eventually turn to college art classes, it took many years for me to pursue my passion for art as a career. Instead, I received a degree in Psychology in 1977.
In 1979, I moved to Northampton, MA a creative arts community. I worked in the social services for years and then went into advertising, all the while continuing to paint and draw. Around 1987, I moved to the metro Boston area. This is where my real art education began. I lived close to the DeCordova Museum where they offered courses and workshops of many different topics. My absolute favorite was printmaking, which I dove into voraciously. I loved that it was so spontaneous! I rented studio space and took workshops, and I painted at home in a makeshift studio.
I started painting in acrylic paint, working large, and fell in love with this mode. It was a newfound world, and I was determined to follow my love for art as a lifelong pursuit. I dove into the world of art and was able to find work and support in the artist community. For a short time, I worked selling other artist’s work at the Boston Design Center and I helped a printmaker prepare for a show at Boston Printmakers. I was fortunate to meet people at that time who encouraged me to keep going and so enough I got a start selling my own prints in a gallery.
In 1992 I moved back to Northampton and shortly thereafter started a handprinted clothing business. I would carve linoleum blocks and print clothes using fabric inks. The labor involved with this craft was quite strenuous, but, it paid the bills. In order to sell my clothes, I worked the craft show circuit until 2001. The stress of being on the road along with all the heavy lifting required to produce a show was very hard on my body. So, I turned to painting.
I took color and painting classes at Greenfield Community College and fell in love with oil paints. The blend-ability, the consistency, and the colors just blew me away. So, I returned to my fabric studio and began working as a painter in oils. Ever since, the majority of my work has been oil painting on canvas and before long, I filled my studio with so much color that I needed to start showing my work! In 2007 I gathered the courage to do the Paradise City Show in Northampton and in Marlboro MA. It was intimidating and scary, but ultimately was a first step to getting my work out into public view.
Every artist has their own challenges and for me, that challenge is in getting my work into the world to be seen by others. Since I started showing my oil paintingss at Paradise City, I have done art fairs, and gallery shows, though presently I sell much of my work straight from my studio at Cottage Street Studios in Easthampton, Ma.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
The work that I do is all about feeling. My paintings are a way for me to communicate the subtlest nuances of my experiences, by translating them into a visual context. I paint a lot of water and marshes. I love the clouds, and they have a place in all of my work. The sea, gentle waves, blue skies, it’s everything that makes this earth so gorgeous. I draw upon landscapes from Cape Cod, Western Massachusetts, and the Caribbean, as well as my childhood years in the rolling hills of New Jersey. The natural beauty and serenity of these places is embedded into my paintings and I express my experiences of them through brush strokes and color. I have heard others describe it as a breath of fresh air, peaceful, ethereal, uplifting and relaxingly beautiful. My painting comes directly from my experiences and it is always emotional. For me, creating the painting is a meditation and that is exactly what I hope the viewer will find too. I hope that others can spend a minute or two in the space I have created for them and destress.
The sterotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
I believe a successful artist is able to keep on producing work. An old friend described my production as an artist as prolific. This requires a total commitment to the craft as well as maintaining an eye on changes in the surroundings. Staying current and aware of the environment can serve as a guide for keeping up the conversation between the artist and consumer and knowing what messages relevant is important. We live in a mysterious time. The present state of affairs in this country has me very concerned about our environment. Through my art I hope to share the beauty that exists abundantly in the world. I wish not only to instill peacefulness in the minds and hearts of those who view my work, but also that I might inspire others to help preserve our natural environments.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
People can support my work through purchasing it direct! I presently have my work displayed in my studio at One Cottage Street, Easthampton. If someone is interested in seeing my work they can contact me through my website or by phone for an appointment.
I am presently showing work in a group show in Easthampton MA at LOCAL gallery. Also, in September 2018 I will be showing work at LOCAL gallery with fellow artist Laura Radwell. The show is entitled ‘2Behold2’. Check my website for updates
Contact Info:
- Address: Kate Childs Studio 502
One Cottage Street Easthampton, MA 01027 - Website: www.katechilds.com
- Phone: 413-695-4886
- Email: katechilds@comcast.net
- Instagram: katechildsfineart@instagram.
com - Other: kate@katechilds.com
Image Credit:
Studio: Courtesy of Cider House Media, Photographer Meghan Hoagland
Paintings: Photographer Steven Petegorsky
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