I am a self-taught artist. (Though it took me a long time to call myself that.) I started painting in 2015, not knowing how else to deal with heartbreak and a debilitating injury, Frida Kahlo-style. I painted anything I saw online that piqued my interest and looked like a challenge. After awhile, I felt enough confidence to try some of my own work.
Edgar Degas once said, “Painting is easy when you don’t know how, but very difficult when you do.” I feel like I’m stuck somewhere in between knowing and not knowing. I would like more training, and more time, but I appreciate exploring and playing when I can, and I’m working to expand my view of what constitutes “art” (especially when I’m the creator). I firmly believe in creation and creativity for its own sake; not everything has to be commercialized.
Wandering storefronts on the back roads in Newport one day, I ran into a little old woman playing with a canvas who told me, “Painting isn’t very relaxing, but it does take you away from yourself for awhile.” And that is very much how I feel about it – whatever happens on the canvas can be stressful as all heck, even when I’m in the flow state, because I don’t know where it’s coming from and I don’t know where it’s going. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it’s practice, and sometimes it’s a bit of a curse. And sometimes it is joyful enough to make my heart skip and spark wonder.
“…creativity is the act of experiencing the unconscious in the conscious. sometimes, i want to say, without sarcasm, ‘i do not know what my soul was thinking when i wrote that poem, i was too busy listening.”
― Nayyirah Waheed
My intention is to update this page with a gallery of images (including some for sale), but in the meantime, please feel free to explore my Instagram page @kpo_arts (screenshots below). Many of these paintings were commissions and/or gifts, but some are still available. If you’d like to request anything or just reach out, email kate@dirtlings.com. I invite you to create, in whatever form it takes for you, and I’d love to hear from you and see your work!
💫 Listen to your unconscious and discover your wonder. 💫
