Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Who Is Kathy Durst Artist

By Marcia Marks


Okay, you won't really turn into Kathy Durst artist by viewing her work but it will certainly inspire you. Kathy was born in Redwing Minnesota and grew up in Illinois, attending an all-girl school. She earned a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree at the Austin campus of the University of Texas as well as an all-level teaching certificate in the visual arts. She is retired from teaching, but remained very active in the arts. A selection of examples was selected for display of her first-ever solo display at the Ross Gallery in early 2014. The theme of these pieces appears to be Noah's Ark, because it is full of animals. This appears to be one of her favorite subjects.

With 25 years of teaching under her belt, there is unlikely to be a medium or method to which she has not been exposed. Most of what is available for viewing on the Internet is composed of paper painting collage. Her "Roseate Spoonbill" exemplifies what can be achieved with deft usage of paints and carefully chosen scraps of colored and textured papers.

"Lammie" and "Yulka" illustrate what can be achieved by creatively employing paint and carefully selected scraps of paper. In "Yulka, " we see an empty soft drink bottle showing through a floral patterned swimsuit for flotation. This is a very deft application of the collage painting technique.

The beauty of this technique is that the materials are cheaply and readily available and the method can be taught to the under-fives. Ms Durst, with a level of maturity and experience that comes with retirement age, is a virtuoso. View some tutorials of paint collage on the Internet and you will be more able to fully appreciate what the artist is about.

The artist appears to be going through an animalistic phase in terms of her chosen subject matter. This may be the result of her forthcoming show at the Ross Gallery. In "Take Me Along, " we see a couple of scuba divers breezing their way through a sea of cuttings from at atlas. They are apparently swimming to music, because they are also awash in a sprinkling of musical notes. This imagery is difficult to achieve with a simple paintbrush and paper.

View this artist's work at your own peril and be prepared to spend time and money experimenting with your own painted paper collage artistry. It is positively inspiring. Seriously, just watching someone do it on YouTube is entrancing.

One of her most breathtaking works is "Rose." The flower itself is in shades of coral and flamingo, with splashes dotted around discreetly in the surrounding foliage. This may or not be in the same medium of painted paper collage but it very well could be. She certainly has the talent and vision to pull this off.

Kathy Durst artist uses textured papers and stencils to give her work character and depth. Don't be discouraged if your own efforts look like something a four-year-old produced in Sunday School. Give yourself a quarter of a century and people all over the world will be admiring your efforts.




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