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EARLY ACRYLIC HUMOR
ILLUSTRATIONS
In 1969, Katherine began
working as a waitress in Lunenburg, MA so she could afford
acrylic artist paints, bed sheets for canvasses, paper and
pencils, and occasionally food. It is also where Katherine
and Jim met. In 1974, they moved to St. Augustine, Florida
where they opened a used book and art gallery. Her love of
illustration and joy of life guided her into a period of
playful humor, which are some of Jim's favorite images, but
she became discouraged by art critics who said, "humor is
not art".
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HAND-CUT ORIGINAL
SERIGRAPHS
Katherine taught herself
serigraphy and began exhibiting and selling serigraphs
successfully at art shows around 1976. It was the first time
she supported herself fully with her art and she was able to
spend all of her energy doing what she loved most. Jim
focused on her matting and framing and driving her to art
shows. A resurgence in the popular art deco and art nouveau
period was in its infancy and, because of her stylized look,
her art was classified as deco-like. Some critics were not
supportive but her work was popular with customers and she
worked undauntedly to refine her talent.
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MONOTYPE SERIGRAPHS
Katherine continued to
experiment with her serigraphs - making them one-of-a-kind -
when, in 1989, Haystack Mountain School in Maine offered a
class for monotype serigraphy. It was taught by Jane
Gregorius who discovered the new medium and coined the term
monotype serigraphy. The class helped to refine Katherine's
experimentations. Unlike previous techniques, this new
medium allowed her to paint on a silk screen, foreground
first and then background. For the next ten years, she
created exclusively these paintings for which she became
known internationally for her joyful and romantic
style.
She received many awards
including First Place for printmaking in the All-Media
Competition of "THE ARTIST''S MAGAZINE" with over 8,000
entries in this national competition. The magazine later
invited her to write an article on this contemporary
technique (Feb. 1998 issue). Some of her commissions and
corporate collections include: Detroit's "Metropolitan
Woman" magazine cover, Dee McCullum's "Poetry for Women"
book covers, Orlando's Florida Hospital, Walt Disney World
Collection, Sun Trust, and Prudential Insurance. She
demonstrated this technique by invitation for Ocala's
Appleton Museum, the Daytona Art League and the Crescent
Beach Fine Art Gallery.
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OIL PASTELS
On a trip to Paris in 2000,
Katherine saw the pastels of Toulouse-Lautrec and others and
fell in love with the medium - its look, its texture and
line quality. Unable to just vacation and look at great art,
she went into an art supply store and bought a set of fine
oil pastels and paper. For the rest of her two-week visit,
she created her own art or sketched in sidewalk cafes and
parks, undisturbed by the Parisians. It was a beautiful time
for her.
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Katherine's humor began to
emerge once again in her art. After she completed "The Bear
Rows", she discovered its meaning. It depicts herself as the
captain of the boat with the vision and direction for the
journey. Jim is the bear whose energy powered the boat and
the duck represents a pale young friend who was just along
for the ride.
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THE LAST OF KATHERINE'S
ART
Katherine was diagnosed with
terminal cancer in Febuary 2004. Struggling with daily
radiation treatments, she continued to find sanctuary in her
studio. She worked until a week before her death on August
10, 2004. Afterwards, Jim found this large sketch next to
her drawing board. It depicts a reclining figure with an
angelic figure leaving it who is being greeted warmly by
smiling angelic figures. It is believed to be her last work.
Katherine posted this quote on her web site shortly before
her death and it exemplifies the dignity with which she made
her transition from this life:
If you would behold the
spirit of death, open your hearts wide unto the body of
life. In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your
silent knowledge of the beyond. And like seeds dreaming
beneath the snow, your heart dreams of spring. Trust the
dreams, for within them is hidden the gate to
eternity.
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