Kate Dardine | Featured Art Palaver Artist

Oil painter Kate Dardine is this week’s featured artist.

How would you describe your art?

I try to keep my paintings simple to allow the viewer to slow down and look deeper and feel the nurturing and healing rhythm of the universe. Lately, the animals I paint look directly at the viewer, inviting a conversation or perhaps just an acknowledgment of our commonalities. Using thin washes of transparent color, I let the oil paint drip and mix, sometimes using rags to blend, sometimes adding thick, juicy brushwork – depending on the personality of the animal I paint.

What artist(s) living or dead inspire you? Why?

I’m inspired by both Franz Marc and Marc Chagall for their use of color and imagination. I like the work of Sarah Rogers – her bold color and loose, semi abstract wildlife paintings resonate with me. Locally, I am inspired by the fauvist colors and great design work in Bob Coonts’ paintings.

What are your thoughts on selling art?

To me selling art is about building relationships. To do that you have to engage in conversations – which is why I have totally embraced social media. It is said that the internet has changed how we purchase art – for better or worse. I agree that the internet has opened up new avenues for art appreciation, and certainly I make sales via my website/Facebook – but it is not merely because I’ve put the work out there. I work hard at starting conversations about art – and nurturing relationships through social media, newsletters and attending art events.

What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing as an artist?

Time. I am not yet in a position to pursue painting full time, so I am constantly juggling my “day job” – which, thankfully, is with a great company involved in the arts – with my painting time, marketing my work and family time.

What has been the biggest victory or success in your art career?

This is a hard question – sometimes seemingly inconsequential or non-related events are what eventually leads to success. I think for me a turning point was when I finally figured out what I wanted to “say” with my art – and had the confidence to say it! Being juried into the Women Artists of the West (www.waow.org) group last Fall was a major accomplishment.

What are your short term artistic goals? And what are your long term goals?

My short term goals are to complete a major body of work and continue honing my skills artistically. Long term I would like to be a position where I am in a few major galleries and supporting myself entirely with my art.

Anything else you would like to share?

I was juried into my first WAOW show this Spring – the show opens June 4 at the Weighorst Museum in El Cajon, CA. I was also commissioned to create four original paintings and over 100 reproductions for an upscale hotel project in Vail, Colorado. I used to be impatient to be a full-time artist – now I understand that this is my journey, and all things happen as they should when they should. I just need to remind myself to trust the process.

Kate can also be found on the Art for Conservation website, Twitter, and CafePress.

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