Featured Artist November 2015

Katie Hawkinson

Katie Hawkinson has lived and worked in the Bay Area since 1984. She has degrees in Painting from the University of Washington and Rhode Island School of Design. Throughout her career as a painter, printmaker and sculptor, Hawkinson has been engaged in exploration and invention. Her abstract works employ rich and vibrant color, pattern and geometry. Every day objects and conditions of life inform her diverse and expansive body of work. Color is a main focus in her work because of the direct visceral impact it has and how it triggers memory and describes time, emotion and light.

Artist Statement

Over time my paintings, drawings, prints, and constructions have evolved as my environment, thoughts and life have changed. Though the work can look quite different, there is a constant in how I experience and then attempt to express or reflect experience. I am still very affected by light and color as well as form. Paintings begin with a very simple idea based on one of these visual elements, but I never know what a painting will look like when complete until I get to the end.

The time spent working on paintings is one of discovery and response to each move along the way. It's simply more interesting than having a set intention and then carrying that out. This way the element of chance and change can be present with each day as I come to the studio to work. There is always a point of departure based on something real that I've seen or experienced that gets abstracted with time. I prefer working towards the essence of how I feel about something to narrating a story. This involves memory, quality of light, and the power of color interaction. Ideally I wish for my paintings to feel alive and to reflect at least part of what it is to be alive.

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