Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathie Shaw.
Kathie, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was born and raised in rural central Pennsylvania, surrounded by the rolling hills and farmland of that part of the state. I have been interested in drawing and painting from a very early age. As I child, I also used to create floor plans for fantasy houses.
I received my BFA with an emphasis on photography from Pennsylvania State University. I had studied for a semester in London as an undergraduate, and then shortly after graduation, I traveled to Europe for six months, mostly camping out of the back of a VW station wagon. After this life-changing nomadic journey, visiting many cultural treasures along the way, I moved to Chicago where I received my Master of Fine Art in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. My mentors there included Ray Yoshida, Philip Hanson, and Michiko Itatani. While working on my MFA, I also worked at the Art Institute in the Museum Photography department. At that time, in addition, I studied the materials and techniques of painting with the Conservator of Paintings, Alfred Jakstas.
Eventually, after working for a number of years in the Asian Department of the Art Institute of Chicago and at Jan Cicero Gallery, I decided to pursue a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois Chicago. At the same time, I began an ongoing study of Buddhist philosophy as taught mostly within the Drikung Kagyu and Gelugpa Schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
I don’t know if you could say I have been obsessed with art throughout my entire life, but my life has always been centered around art and art making. These days, when I travel, it is almost always centered around visiting museums and galleries. Otherwise, I am in my studio as often as possible.
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?
While currently, I am mostly pursuing painting, photography remains an important tool for me. My training in architecture has also informed both my painting and photography. Working from photographs, architectural ironwork was an ongoing theme in my painting for several years. The fluid medium of iron in the hands of skilled anonymous craftsmen resembles calligraphy, while it also references the fluidity and softness of the natural world. At the same time, ironwork provides a special barrier in the landscape or architectural context where it is placed. In my paintings, it creates a barrier between the viewer and the background behind the isolated portion of ironwork depicted.
Most recently, I have eliminated the specific architectural references in favor of focusing on the material act of painting itself. The impetus for this move came initially from the idea of creating “accidental” floor plans, a nod to architectural pedagogy that I experienced while in school. My current painting process relies on chance followed by choosing or “curating” what chance has initially laid down. The results sometimes resemble plans, maps, or topography, and sometimes they become more abstract, moving closer to simply emphasizing the liquid quality of the paint medium. I refer to this series generally as “Chroma Topography.”
About five years ago, I completed a series of charcoal drawings on canvas that I referred to as “Post-Apocalyptic Trash” paintings. The subjects of these paintings referenced the ways in which the human race could potentially annihilate itself, like the overuse of fossil fuels while not addressing climate change, nuclear war, and the distractions of modern life including sport and entertainment. These paintings or drawings, were difficult and time-consuming to produce, not to mention that thinking about these things constantly began to weigh on my psyche. Sadly, five years after finishing this series the situation regarding these issues has not gotten any better.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
On the one hand, there is an enormous amount of money circulating at a certain level in the art world. On the other hand, financing the making of art can be a struggle. It is a challenge to find opportunities to show one’s work. Often these opportunities depend on contacts and networking. Now, a lot of art marketing has moved to the internet, so that is another avenue one must pursue. Art making is an expensive endeavor, and for most people, it will not be a source of financial profit. The combination of these things is like working three jobs, but if you have to do it, you have to do it – make the work that is.
In favor of technology, math, and science, our education system often doesn’t emphasize cultural pursuits. For many schools, there is simply not enough money for an art teacher. Art isn’t just a pastime. It teaches children independent and critical thinking. I believe these are prerequisites for a fulfilling life, so education is key to keeping interest in art and culture alive for all of our citizens.
MANA has been a very successful model for the artists who have studios there. If that model could be replicated in other parts of the city, I think it would have a very positive impact on the cultural life of the city.
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?
I have a website where it is possible to see pictures of the various bodies of my work. It is also possible to contact me on my website. I am open to studio visits if someone wants to see things in person.
I also currently have work from my series, Post-Apocalyptic Trash paintings, on permanent view at Purdue University in Hammond, IN.
Contact Info:
- Address: Studio:
4201 N. Ravenswood Avenue
Chicago, IL 60613 - Website: kathieshaw.com
- Phone: 7732676454
- Email: On my website
Image Credit:
Kathie Shaw
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
