Peeling Back the Layers: Kate’s Creative Process

Peeling Back the Layers: Kate’s Creative Process

‘Painting means I have something to think about, plan for, and be excited to get to. And then step back and be proud of.‘

– Why lines especially?

As well as the end aesthetic I enjoy the process of peeling the tape to find a perfectly straight line. And I like the sound it makes as you peel the tape off, and how, once you are a way through the piece, you reveal the world under the tape. Or having to do a painting “surgery” close to the end to fix up any errors. The repetitive nature of it really appeals to me. In regards to the end result I like how organised it is. A line can either be right, if it is crisp and straight or wrong and in which case it can be retaped and fixed. As I spend the rest of my time outdoors in nature, where nothing is straight and organised, I appreciate the contrast.

– What’s the planning process like in your head when you want to start a new piece?

I have a sketchbook, pencil and ruler that live permanently on the kitchen counter. (For that I apologise to my wife). If I am on the go and an idea pops into my head then I sketch it out on the notes app. Often the sketches dont then make any sense and when I have a board primed and ready to go I’ll end up going with the flow. While I’m working the majority of the wooden canvas is covered by tape, and as soon as I peel it off I then re tape that finished line so often the work has gone in a different direction to what I’d planned. With that many lines, colours and hidden canvas you can’t really step back and assess where you’re at.

– How much tape do you reckon you’ve ran through in the course of your career?

Ha, a fair amount. When I started we had just moved and painted our apartment so we had lots on hand. Now I am at the DIY store once a week. I’ve experimented with a few types of tape. Frog tape is my current favourite as it is see through so that helps with accuracy. I re sue the tapes as many times as I can, it doesn’t lose its stick but the issue is when it picks up paint on the sticky side it can then press it onto the finished lines.

– You seem to be a fan of vibrant colours, why is that so? why not grey scale or different shades of black even?

That’s a learned behaviour. I am from a colorful family. We love bright things. I don’t think that any of us own a black or grey item of clothing or pair of shoes. I recently stayed at my parents home in London and when I went to hang a painting on a white wall to photograph there wasn’t a white wall, or even off white anywhere in the house. My mum looked at me like I was mad when I asked if she had a white wall. I do plan on doing more with grey scales, or more ordered, similar colours, but then I always think ohh I love this blue, and it looks great next to that pink, and that green, and so there I am with yet another multi coloured painting.

– If you couldn’t paint, how else would you express yourself?

I don’t think I’d have another option as a creative outlet to be honest. There’s a long list of things I’d like to try such as woodwork and working with clay. But as to whether or not I’d be successful at those things only time will tell if I do take them up. My wife plays piano but I seem to be tone deaf, although she says that isn’t actually a thing.

Of course everyone expresses themselves every day in how they are, what they wear, their current hair style. Both my wardrobe and hair style seems to attract feedback from others so I guess I am expressing myself there.

In terms of hobbies, which is what painting is for me primarily, I go through phases. A recent one was knitting. But all I could knit were straight lines. My friends and family were well decked out in scarves that year. I even knitted a scarf for a baby. It turns out babies don’t wear scarves, so I had to stitch it into a blanket.

– Is there a message to be read in between the lines?

Excellent pun. And potential painting or exhibition name at some point. Some of the abstract paintings tell a story, like Exponential Growth, or represent a space like Interruptions which is broadly based on a skyline. But otherwise, not really, I’m afraid. I don’t think I’m a between the lines kind of person. What you see is what you get. The message is that I am doing something that makes me happy and that I am proud of, and that’s a pretty good message I hope.

– Why do you do it all? The lines, the paint, all of it. What does it mean to you?

It means I am using my brain. I have a dog walking business that I love and requires energy and enthusiasm, but that doesn’t require a whole heap of brain power when you are out walking with obedient dogs, or driving around to pick them up. Painting means I have something to think about, plan for, and be excited to get to. And then step back and be proud of.

But it’s not just the act of painting. It’s the painter’s life that comes with it. The planning, the researching materials for, the experimenting. Producing paintings I’m stocked with, and ones that are like “meh” who will eventually get sanded down and repainted. Then there’s the “Sydney Art World” that I’m dipping my toe into. It seems there’s always a show to enter, or artwork to drop off or pick up from somewhere, or an opening to go to and friends to invite, and warm white wine to drink. It’s a whole community of wonderful creatives that I’m gradually getting to know.

-Last but not least, what colour is the number ‘7’ to you? Please justify your answer.

I’ve never thought about that before. Immediate thoughts are… Days of the week, 7th day is Sunday so therefore it’s yellow. What colour do you think it is?

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