Artist Blog
SPRING IS HERE!
May 12, 2022
Let’s talk about the style I work in and identify with, Pointillism. This style can be a relaxing art form in addition to being a detailed art form. The repetitive nature of laying down drops or dots of color on a canvas allows you to get lost in the flow of the moment; moments can turn into hours, leaving you cramped fingers and a sore neck. But, when I step back and look at what all the dots have created, it’s worth it!
You may be thinking to yourself, then why do it? Kathy, are you a control nut? Yea, I guess I am. Being able to put dots in a pattern to create something viable in a visual form is exhilarating.
I am officially a Pointillism Artist and most of my artwork will be created in that styling. Although, that doesn’t mean I won’t venture into something new and fresh to keep the inspiration going.
Enough of me let’s get to the fun stuff, Pointillism Art. I’ll be at the Conshohocken Arts Festival and Car Show on Saturday, June 4, 2022, from 10 am to 4 pm, and yes, with my pointillism, plus a few other fun items I’ve created. Oh, there will be bubbles!
Located: 14 E 5th Avenue, Conshohocken, PA
Hope to see you there!
Katherine
February 13, 2022
We are 2 months into the new year and I have been working on the last few classes for my college degree, marketing for kDESIGN and of course creating art. It’s going to be a busy year! So, Happy Belated New Years, I wish for you a prosperous and healthy year. I’d like to share what I learned this last year; that was to embrace the wait. Having patience with myself and my art. Everything comes together in its own time. I’m not the most patient of people so this is a huge. Learning to breathe, clear the mind, and focus on being in the moment is one of the ways that I am embracing the wait.
Meanwhile, this year I’m releasing one 5 x 7 pointillism per month. All landscapes, all dots, all fun! You can check # 1 and # 2 out here. March will be the release of the 3rd piece. In addition to the Landscape collection, there will be a release of a Limited Edition Art Box in honor of Mother’s Day in April 2022. Keep a look out for more information.
Catch you all soon and have a passion filled February!
Katherine
December 17, 2021
December is almost over! Art collections are finished, Christmas music, and my favorite movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation are on replay. I’m concentrating on cleaning the house, making a menu for Christmas Day with some delicious desserts!
This time of year is bittersweet for a lot of us. We remember and miss those who are not with us, but, also delight in and enjoy those we are with every day. As we have lived through the last two years, we recognise and cherish our family and friends that are so dear to us. During this season let’s try and reach out to someone we don’t get to see as often. Share your joy and happiness of the season with them. It can be a card, a conversation, a zoom call or a lunch out; it’s all about Staying Connected!
All of these memories and realizations led me to creating The 12 Days of Snowflakes, simply said this collection is out of an abundance of fun childhood memories. Having lived in Minnesota for a period of time, as well as New York suburbs with heavy snowfalls; snow days happened often with snow angels being made, snowmen, snowball fights and large fluffy snowflakes landing on my tongue. I wanted to keep the memory alive by having a visual around, something that jiggles my memory when I see this on my shelf.
In the winter if I heard, “snow day” this meant snowflakes, hot cocoa, and a day home from school. Every child should get to experience the freedom and wonder of a snow day, at least once! If you don’t live in a cold area that creates snow you can experience my memories through the 12 Days of Snowflakes Collection.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Stay safe through the holiday season.
Katherine
Who knew that participating in the Montco Studio Tour would lead to an interview with CBS 3 news? Anyone who knows me realizes that this would not be a jumping up and down moment for me. Interviews terrify me!, but as a fresh artist I sucked it up and answered questions. I figure the only way to get past this is to keep doing it scared. I guess that is where courage comes in. That is what we are going to talk about today, courage. Courage to ask questions, courage to put your face and name in front of your work, and courage to let a higher power lead the way.
I have always been inspired to leave something behind in this physical world besides my children. I want to leave something inspiring and conversational for the next generations to ponder and think about. Now, I’m not a Duchamp, Kilmt or Van Goh, but I do have something to say that is worthwhile hearing and thinking about.
The world we live in is a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes to be viewed at different times and angles; artists are influenced by their surroundings. This is why you get so many different interpretations of the same thing. I love to look at plants, leaves and trees for my ideas. My mentor Jim Femino always talked to me about trees, “ a tree doesn’t do anything but grow, sprout leaves, and shed leaves in the fall.” The process takes place day after day, week after week, year after year until death. As a visual artist breaking down the artistic process into the most basic of pieces helps the design develop. This works through sketching rough ideas, developing sketches, and the actual project. For an artist this takes courage! Courage to believe that the product you are creating visually says what you want to say, is worthwhile for public viewing, and holds value.
The Montco Studio Tour helped bolster my courage with the public. My oil paintings and pen/ink pointillism that I offered for purchase were positively received. When the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board partnered with the King of Prussia mall to hang art for public viewing, I along with other Montco Studio Tour artists were offered this opportunity. Seven of us are hanging in the First ever Arts Montco Wall.
A wide variety of pieces from prominent local artist(s) Robby Schlesigner (Elkins Park), Lynnette Shelley (Ambler), Harry Boardman (Souderton), Katherine Bampfield (Norristown), Sandy Alves (Collegeville), and David Rozek (Bridgeport) is currently on display. You never know where each opportunity is leading you, so have courage and jump in!
Katherine
WOW, this is my first blog post after I decided I was all in as an artist!
I’d like to share with you that moment I knew I was ALL In! In fact, I named the painting I was working on when I realized this, “All In.”
I was sitting on the floor surrounded by tubes of oil paint, canvases and palette knives. I can’t answer why I paint abstract paintings sitting on the floor, I just do. Maybe I feel more grounded to my surroundings. I painted three 5 x 7 abstract oil paintings that day. Completely mesmerized by the feel of the paint with the noisy swoosh that a palette knife makes on a canvas. Think of a kitten licking your hand and that sandpapery feeling. I can hear that. Painting with a palette knife is relaxing and rhythmic as I go over the canvas, a horizontal mark, a vertical mark, change color then a lay a larger swath of paint. I continue this action over and over until I’m satisfied that the canvas and I have finished our conversation.
The last painting however, that canvas and I had a moment. I realized as I was painting this canvas that I’m All In. This is where I’m going in this later stage of my life. I’m a visual artist.
The weight of that realization didn’t hit me until I signed up for the Montco Studio Tour that took place in September 2021. What was my conversation going to look like with the public? How was I going to explain how I feel about these pieces of artwork in front of us? Would anyone even like a painting by me? Would they feel what I feel as they look on the finished artwork? So many questions that ran through my head, of course the loudest statement that I kept hearing was I don’t want to make a fool of myself. I had to keep throwing cold water on that thought. The cold water won and I survived the Montco Studio Tour. In fact, people did want to see and hear what the canvas and I had to say.
Katherine