Meet the Artist | Interview with Katie Jackson | DegreeArt.com The Original Online Art Gallery

Meet the Artist | Interview with Katie Jackson

Katie Jackson seeks to represent the divine feminine through her careful and delicate handiwork, conveying an irreplaceable feminine quality. Her watercolour mastery has evidently taken time to perfect. Katie has a love/hate relationship with watercolour, as she feels it's relatively unpredictable and unlike other mediums, it can’t be layered upon too well nor mistakes covered. However, when it does work, the artist really enjoys the medium. Katie pours so much of herself into her work and hopes that this is self-evident to the viewer. Her aim is to paint women exactly as I find them, perfectly imperfect in their design- and without any bias on the artist's end. Katie is passionate about the divine feminine and her work is dedicated to the celebration of this beauty through vibrant inks and deliberate brush strokes. 

1) Which art movement do you consider most influential on your practice?

Both Art Nouveau and the Renaissance had me quite captured as a teen. My mother was an artist and she had lots of books in the house of Leonardo Da Vinci and Gustav Klimt's work. I think that's where my love for figurative work grew. I honed my watercolour skill later in life.
 
2) Where do you go and when to make your best art?
 
I usually come alive in the evening for my work. The only place I work well is in my studio, a place where I make a horrendous mess - but to me is perfectly chaotic. I love the fact everything is laid out ready for me to pick up where I left off.
 
3) How do you describe your 'creative process'?
 
I would say almost up to 60% of my total process time is spent searching for the perfect pose to paint. I prefer to take pictures of the models and then paint to my own leisure. For every painting I complete and feel is satisfactory for a sale, I probably throw away about 3 in between. Inking in my sketches moves quite quickly once I start because I become so engrossed, often forgetting to eat. If I paint when I'm stressed, it never works.
 
4) Which artist, living or deceased, is the greatest inspiration to you?
 
David Bowie. A highly evolved, spiritual being. And although not a painter, his music is often played when I paint which inspires me deeply. He was completely ahead of his time and he gave from his heart.
 
5) If you weren't an artist, what would you do?
 
If I wasn't a painter I'd be a writer. I'd have to be able to express myself in some way.
 
6) What do you listen to for inspiration?
 
Oops I already answered that. David Bowie. But I also love Lauren Hill, Sade and London Grammar.
 
7) If you could own one artwork, and money was no object, which piece would you acquire?
 
'The Kiss' by Gustav Klimt. It's mesmerizing.
 
8) If your dream museum or collection owner came calling, which would it be?
 
I don't have a dream museum or collection owner. I just feel wonderful when my art sells to someone who loves it and feels the energy I put into it (which is a lot).
 
 
9) What is your key piece of advice for artists embarking on a fine art or creative degree today?
 
That everyone will have an opinion about their capabilities and work but the only opinion that counts is their own and the person who wishes to buy their work for the price set.
 
10) What is your favorite book of all time (fiction or non fiction)?
 
Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve. It's actually a really depressing read! But it's the most romantic story I've read and I felt the authors emotion while reading it.
 
11) If you could hang or place your artwork in one non traditional art setting, where would that be?
 
On the side of a double-decker bus.
 
12) What was the biggest lesson your university course or time studying taught you?
 
That you are your own expert, and you can draw from that more than anyone else who came before you. 
 
13) And finally, if we were to fast forward 10 years, where would we find you?
 
In Tuscany, painting amongst olive trees and drinking red wine.
 
 
 

Learn more about Katie and discover her collection of artworks. 

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