The Inspiring Conversations Podcast

In this episode, Jeff sits down with local artist Katelynn Knick on a late winter evening outside the Art Hall at 23rd and Walker in The Uptown District and hears from her about some of her current work, about her recent house art show called “You’re in my bubble,” and about the increased popularity of artists having exhibitions in their homes and why that is happening.

They continue the conversation as Katelynn talks about her life journey, how she got started as an artist and what inspired her to do the work in the way that she does, and how she has evolved as an artist over the past few years.

For more information about Katelynn and to see some of her recent and past works, go to www.katelynnknick.com

ARTIST STATEMENT

Inspired by abstract expressionism, DIY techniques, and daydreaming, I use color combinations, mark-making, and movement to explore the idea of space. Growing up I was always inspired by my father, an artist at heart and a draftsman by career, who would destroy and rebuild the spaces in our home to better suit our interests. Living in a home that was always physically changing changed the way I perceived and interacted with the spaces around me. As an artist, I am inspired by this and find myself creating and altering my own spaces. Each space is ambiguous and unique to the person who enters it.

I use playful color combinations and the movement of layering various marks and shapes to create an imagined space that is subtle, yet confrontational and inviting. Ambiguous clusters of marks and colors, thin lines that draw lingering connections, and lumpy overlapping forms all collectively create associations, sensations, and experiences that vary, offering a unique, connection to be formed.

Recently I’ve been using drawings and paintings as maps, to then create objects and installations with the purpose of expanding the experience of abstract painting and creating an environment that can be physically explored. This area of my work allows me to experiment with materials and use the space around me as a site specific, temporary canvas.

BIOGRAPHY

Born in Tulsa, OK. Currently living and creating in Oklahoma City, OK.

Katelynn received her BFA in Studio Art from the University of Oklahoma in 2015. Her work has been exhibited at MAINSITE Contemporary Art and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Oklahoma, and Casp 5 & J Gallery in Texas.

We begin this segment by hearing from Marissa about how she always wanted to be an artist and how she began and continued her art education and then started her art career.

We continue the conversation as she talks about how the therapeutic aspect of art has always been very important to her and how it helps her cope in her own everyday life amidst the challenges that come up from time to time.

She then reflects about how her work has evolved over the last three years and how she feels about how people interact with her work and some of the most interesting comments that she has heard from others about it.

We wrap up this segment with Marissa sharing some information about her upcoming event at Oklahoma Contemporary's Share At The Showroom Series on February 15th at 6:00 pm as she will be paired with Guthrie-based singer-songwriter Chelsey Cope, who will perform an acoustic set of songs from her upcoming album, Where Nobody Goes. She and Chelsey will both be talking about their artistic processes at this event.

In this segment, Jeff sits down to visit with Marissa Raglin, the 2018 Skirvin Paseo Artist-In-Residence at her studio on the first floor of the Skirvin Hilton Hotel downtown.

She creates ethereal, whimsical collage works with images delicately removed with a cutting blade from vintage magazines, books, and postcards, and she favors the endless assemblages of collage imagery. Using original, unaltered imagery and basic design elements, the images are compiled and become unified, telling one story.

As we begin the conversation, Marissa shares some information about her participation in this program and about opportunities for people to come into the studio and participate in a hands-on program. She calls this part of her studio Cut & Paste OK, where guests create handmade collage postcards of their own using found images.

We then hear from Marissa about her artwork, process and how it has evolved. She then speaks about how she got started working with vintage magazines. Marissa heavily features women in her work, especially domesticated women that are featured in 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s advertisements as a way of making light, or poking-fun of the images of these women. She likes that she is "cutting the images away" from the stories that they were originally a part of and then creating a new story with them through her work and "giving them a second life."

She then reflects about the importance of how her friends and family have made efforts to find various vintage publications for her to use in her work and how that means so much to her to actively support her work in this way.

We then transition into hearing about her upcoming participation in the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition exhibition entitled, Momentum, featuring artists age 30 and under. Marissa has been selected as a Momentum Spotlight artist in this program. She shares more information about her Spotlight project entitled, Nesting. She also speaks about her work that is currently being exhibited at 21c Museum Hotel through July and about the future exhibit of her work as a part of the OVAC Momentum Spotlight Artist program at The Gold Dome at 1112 NW 23rd Street March 9 & 10 from 8-11pm and then at the Melton Gallery at The University of Central Oklahoma from March 13-19.

We wrap up this segment as conversation then shifts to Marissa and Jeff discussing how her work gives people the opportunity to view the role that women play in the work place, home, and as mother and how drastic the past portrays the identity of as compared to today. She talks about while there are improvements, there are still societal pressures placed on women to fit into a one-size-fits all narrative. She also talks about how she has heard from many colleagues and friends with shared experiences, while discussing the role a woman plays today, and the many facets and complexities to this role.

In this segment, Jeff sits down to visit with local artist Janet Shepard.

She shares information with us about the artwork that she creates, about what inspires her, and about the significance of the spirals that she uses in some of her designs as that comes from her Celtic heritage.

As the interview progresses, she talks about the evolution of her work over the long term and how she has grown and changed along with it.

As this segment wraps up, she speaks about the importance of what she refers to as “visual literacy” and why it is so important for that to be taught to children in their formative years.

We then hear from her about how artists and the audiences who see their work benefit in different ways and how the significance of art is best appreciated within the context of history overall.

In this segment, Janet and Jeff continue the conversation about significance of “visual literacy” and the relationship of that to one’s own life journey.

Janet also talks about how all that we create in our lives are done so “upon a canvas” and how that relates to art and our own spiritual journeys.

We wrap up the interview with Janet sharing some of the most formative lessons she has learned on her journey as an artist and how the artist’s work is ultimately a “conversation with oneself.”

Lastly, she speaks about the next series of works that she is planning to create.

See Janet’s work on Instagram at @2dpaintworks