Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate O’neill

Kate, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

I’ve been painting for more than a decade, but only in the last three years have I felt like I’ve finally found my style. I remember being about 12 years old, learning to paint, and being told by my teacher, Deborah Fletcher (shout out to Coral Springs Museum of Art), that an artist’s style would come with time. As you can imagine, I responded to this like any 12-year-old being told to wait for something would—with frustration and determination to, essentially, hurry up and find myself (spoiler alert: it didn’t work). And I’ll be honest with you when I started, I sucked. Like, really sucked. And I know my mom would tell you that that is inaccurate, but it is so totally true. Anyone who knows me knows I suck at sucking at things, and so I made it a point to paint until I didn’t suck (by my standards– sorry, Mom!). So I’ve been painting now for over half of my life and even now I create things that I think suck all the time. I think the trick is respecting perspective and learning to be patient and trust the process. At this point, I have had the chance to share my work with thousands of people and travel for my art, and talk about my work with some incredibly talented peers- something I think 12-year-old me would agree is pretty freaking cool. I don’t think that covers the whole story, but I think that’s what resonates with me now. That’s the beauty of growth, you know? It’s been a wild ride, and I’m excited to see what my work will look like in another ten years.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

I will be the first to admit I have been my biggest obstacle. You know how they say you are your greatest critic? I could go for gold in the self-critic Olympics. I get overwhelmed and obsessive sometimes with my work, and learning to let my art be a more fluid expression of my emotions, thoughts, and feelings has been the real work in progress. The art is just the conduit for war with my perfectionism and anxiety around vulnerability. Besides myself, I’d say my biggest challenges are getting my foot in the door with galleries and coping with rejection. I take rejection and criticism personally, which I am cognizant of (and trying to work on and will probably be working on for the rest of my life).

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

I’m an abstract artist who paints emotive faces and figures. I’m most known for the faces—those are my babies. I owe a lot of my personal and professional growth to the outlet that they have given me. They have taken on a voice of their own and resonated with so many people, and I am so proud and honored to be able to do that. I think they really set me apart from others and are typically the things that most people associate me with. The colors, the angles, the emotions/expressions, the vibrancy, the silent ferocity. They really are a force.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

I’m so inspired by my culture and role in society as a young, Hispanic cis woman. I’m surrounded by many incredible people who have changed my life and challenged my perspective, and I am tremendously grateful for the chance to know and be known by them. At the end of the day, my goal with my art is to make people feel less alone. I want people to be able to look at my work and see themselves. I want to give a voice to those who cannot say what they want or share who they are with the world how they want to, and for them to know they are enough and are seen. What is the point of having a platform otherwise? I want my art to spur conversations that could be difficult but need to be had. I’m incredibly lucky to be able to do art, and while the work is difficult and beautiful, it’s secondary to the connection I seek to make with the viewer- that has always been what is most important.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://koneill.art
• Instagram: koneill.art

Image Credits

© Kaitlyn O’Neill, 2024