Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathrine Lovell.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I come from a long line of artists and creative people. An old family story has our ancestors migrating from France to England to carve stone in the Cantebury Cathedral. As a very young child I knew I wanted to be an artist. My mother was very creative, and gave us projects to keep us occupied, from painting to sewing, our hands were never idle. In elementary school I used to do other kid’s art projects when they weren’t interested. Many pieces of my work adorned kitchens other than my own. I grew up in New Jersey just across the river from Manhattan. A short bus ride would bring me into the heart of American art, which often happened in my high school years, when I would cut school to go wander through art museums.
Despite my reprobate ways, I managed to attend Rhode Island School of design where I learned to think analytically and developed a deep sense of my ability to create on many levels. I graduated with a degree in painting, and spent many years working in odd and interesting jobs, from restaurant cook to union organizer, along with being an artist’s assistant for several artists in the Providence area. I learned basic metal smithing, all stages of production pottery, paper making, gilding and how to run a small business.
A decade and a half of painting scenery for theater taught me how to paint every day without waiting for “the Muse”. I worked in theaters all over the east coast, I have painted and designed for most of the theater companies in the greater Boston area, and seven years at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence. Currently I work as a full-time artist, in my own studio in rural Adamsville RI. I work on commissions for private collectors and with a licensing agent that reproduces my work on products and posters available worldwide. My studio is open to the public on the third weekend of every month. When young artists ask me about how to make a living as an artist, I say work every day and don’t give up. I have made many sacrifices along the way, and none of them felt hard, because I have been able to keep my dream of being a working artist alive.
Please tell us about your art.
I am a painter, working primarily with Acrylics and Metal Leaf. I love nature, so it is featured in all of my work, from small birds and animals, to interesting plants, flowers and landscapes. In the past two years I have been making white line woodblock prints, which is a thoroughly American art form developed in Province town about a hundred years ago. It is a meticulous, repetitive, and labor-intensive art form that I find very satisfying. In much of my work I include geometric patterning, which is also repetitive and labor intensive, so I guess I have something for that kind of work. The repetition creates a meditative state, which I find relaxing, and contemplative.
Recently I was doing some teaching and demonstrating some of my techniques and found that I have about 8 steps in creating my paintings, before I begin painting the subject of the work. Starting from wood panels, I prime with house paint, then add layers of paint, texture and geometry, then get out my fine brushes to do the detail work. I paint on wood, because canvas has too much bounce and is not durable enough for some of the sanding and scraping that happens in the process of creation.
I want all of my work to give a feeling of calmness, quietude, peacefulness. Whether is color, subject or form, I am constantly trying in my work to get to a stillness that I think is really important in a world that is often the opposite. My artwork is influenced by my knowledge and love of Asian art. Although I know it is there, I have never tried to make a painting that looks Japanese, it just kind of comes out, I think mostly because I am always trying to achieve balance of form, color, texture and mood that was present in my studies.
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
No matter what your financial situation is, make sure you have a regular art practice. Right after I graduated from RISD, I worked 4 days a week so I could have three days to spend in my studio. Of course, in those days, many moons ago, things were cheaper, so it was easier, but I think anyone can figure out how to make a living while making art. I make sure to make something every day, even if I am not in my studio, I am still thinking creatively, and moving my hands. When I had a very demanding job, I would make one small painting after dinner, painting whatever I saw on the dinner table, little domestic still life’s, it was very satisfying and kept my mind sharp. By the way this activity also kept me from getting over stressed and maintained my focus for the job.
For all of my life, I have had a real goal in my mind that I wanted to achieve; I wanted to be free to paint and be my true creative self every hour of every day. Nothing has been more important to me than that. Being an artist is scary and demanding. Waiting for the “Muse” to strike is a waste of time, the only way I have been successful is to get into the studio whether I felt like it or not. Sometimes I have gone into the studio feeling like I can’t work, and by being in my creative work space, I have managed to work my way right through creative blocks. Whatever financial sacrifices I have made have always paid off in the level of improvement in my artwork. Be smart, stick to deadlines, finish what you start, don’t dilly dally, and stop being the harshest critic of your work. Follow your heart in what you make, but make the best work you can. Don’t give up on what you are making, every piece has an ugly phase, just keep working your way through it.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can see my work in my studio/gallery in Adamsville Rhode Island, and starting in October, in St. Augustine Florida at the Plum Gallery. Last spring, I was part of the giant art auction that Mass College of Art produces, it’s an amazing fundraiser for the school, where you get to hang your work alongside some of the best contemporary artists in the area and help the school raise a million dollars! Look for my work online or in your local Bed Bath and Beyond on all kinds of licensed work, or with my agents: Wildapple.com
Contact Info:
- Address: Kathrine Lovell Studio & Gallery 4 Westport Harbor Road
Adamsville (Little Compton), RI 02801 - Website: www.klovell.com
- Phone: 401-743-6077
- Email: klovell61@gmail.com
- Instagram: kittythepainter
- Facebook: kathrine lovell studio & gallery
Image Credit:
Karen Phillipi
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