artist + teacher + maker
Hi. I'm Katt...
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And I’m a compulsive puzzle solver that thrives on juggling chaos. Years ago I made two promises to myself: not to succumb to the daily grind of a 9-5 and to never make something that I myself wouldn’t want to be a part of my world. As a studio production artist vending my wares every weekend and an all ages teacher, I’ve been able to keep both by discovering the most efficient way to make my work. My studio is a chaotic whirlwind of process and materials. Plaster molds for slip casting ceramic work tower on shelves in corners next to a perpetually clay speckled pottery wheel. Cups wait for handles, huddled in vast batches across the canvas tabletop, while ceramic brain bowls sit patiently on trays to be glazed. There is always something to do in every step of the clay process. Constant, cyclical, ceaseless. Wonder is a key element of my process. Experiencing something new fuels my own practice and informs my teaching philosophy. Why do something if it’s not engaging, if it doesn’t push you forward? This is where the juggling skills are honed. As a studio artist, how can I keep myself engaged in my work, push my own boundaries, AND maintain a stable existence? With a playful openness and merciless persistence, I continue to discover these answers. |
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Education
2012 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Craft ‐ Ceramics – Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland OR Teaching Experience 2015-current Individual clay classes, The Shop, Portland OR 2013-current Heartwood Preschool, Portland OR 2014-2016 Resident Artist/Mentor, VSAA, Vancouver WA Menuca Visiting Artist Ceramic Image Transfer Workshop Mold Making Workshop Bookmaking Workshop Papermaking Workshop 2014 Resident Artist, Winterhaven K-12, Milwaukee OR 8th Grade Ceramic Garden Installation Project YoungWonders Preschool, Portland OR 2013 Clay Classes at Winterhaven K-12, Milwaukee OR 2012-14 Workshops/Classes @ The Portland Child Art Studio Art Classes for Home School Children 2009-12 Creative Ceramics – (ages 5-10) –PCM Art Summer Camp – Portland Children’s Museum Professional Development 2016-current assistant to Kristy Lombard, Portland OR 2014 assisted Alex Farnham, Gorge Glasshaus, Troutdale 2013 The Ubiquitous Cup, Shane Blitch, OCAC 2012 workshop, ArtStream Nomadic Gallery, OCAC workshop with Marry Barringer, OCAC 2011 assistant, Pate de Verre, Debrah Horrel, OCAC workshop with Doug Browe, OCAC 2010 assistant, SKUTT Kiln Doctor, OCAC Solo Exhibitions 2014 Resident Artist, VSAA, Vancouver WA Group Exhibitions 2016 Friends Make Stuff, The Shop, Portland OR 2013 Clay As Narrative, Georgie’s Gallery, Portland OR Alumni Show, Hoffman Gallery OCAC, Portland OR Drinking Vessels, Georgie's Gallery, Portland OR 2012 Around Oregon Annual, The Arts Center, Corvallis OR ten.four, NW 10th & Hoyt, Portland OR 2010-11 California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art, Davis CA Ceramics Show, Centrum Gallery OCAC, Portland OR 2010 Juried Show, Hoffman Gallery, Portland OR 2009 Ceramics Show, Centrum Gallery OCAC, Portland OR Shows + Sales + Galleries 2016-current Portland Saturday Market 2016-current Hammer + Vine 2015-current Rutabaga Redesign 2013-current Jim Koudelka and Janet Buskirk's Spring and Holiday Studio Sales 2012-current Siren Nation 2013 Crafty Underdog Hip Happening Bazaar 2012 Portland Waldorf School Holiday Sale 2009-13 OCAC Student and Alumni and Holiday Sale Technical Skills hand building/wheel throwing mold making/casting glazing/firing kiln building book making/binding small scale welding sewing/fabric dying Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator Material/Medium Knowledge clay & glaze slip-casting plaster resin silicone latex Hydrocal Cement sugar/isomalt casting tool dip papermaking fibers pork sausage casings simple electronics glass fusing recycled/found objects |
So Live It Good.Kids know the cure for boredom: ask questions, lots of questions.
I've never grown out of this mindset. I let this child-like sense of discovery guide my process for making. I love building things. All kinds of things with all kinds of materials. I’ve found that clay has an infiniteness that makes its options endless, ensuring that I don’t get bored. I realize, though, that I am an adult and my realities are this world. I’m interested in where the line blends between childhood and adulthood, a vast grey space where I feel most comfortable. My conceptual work reveals the influences of my own experiences. It’s a personal reflection of the world around me - Playful with a splash of jaded reality, on the rocks. |
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