Artist Spotlight Series: Katherine Sullivan
Arlington Artists Alliance Member and Gallery Underground member Katherine Sullivan discusses her artwork, technique and inspiration:
Katherine Sullivan, Crab Jumble, Watercolor, framed dimensions 25.5 W x 41 H, $1,200 |
Nature inspires
most of my paintings, and I tend to paint what I like. As an opportunist I am open to any interesting
subject, ranging from freshly caught crabs to the visual beauty of the farmers
market. Since I am not particularly
fast, I usually paint from photographs. The photographs are combined, staged or
altered. I am more interested in the
close up view of the subject rather than the distant. Many of my paintings have layered groupings
of the same or similar objects, exploring the relationship between them and
shadows. My technique is mostly
traditional. I like all colors, but some
of my friends think purple can usually be found in my paintings.
Katherine Sullivan, Annual Rewards, Watercolor, framed dimensions 11.5 W x 11.5 H, $325 |
The desire
to create and the interest in learning something new has always been
present. The subjects and methods have
changed with time. I did not take any
formal art classes until college where I took a lot of painting and printing
classes. After graduating from George Washington
University, I went back to school again to take additional classes in ceramics,
sculpture and crafts in order to be certified to teach. I put aside my painting for about twenty-five
years, until I decided I wanted to paint again.
It was at that point I tried watercolors. What a great fit. I should have tried them sooner. The hardest part is sometimes just the
beginning. It is always satisfying to
create something. No matter what the
results, it is my interpretation of what I see.
Katherine Sullivan Swiss Chard, Watercolor, framed dimensions 18.5 W x 18 H, $350 |
https://galleryunderground.org/project/katherine-sullivan/