We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kate Ritchie. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kate below.

Alright, Kate thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My current art work is a combination of collage, acrylic painting, print making, and resining. It’s interesting to reflect back on how I learned to work with each of those mediums because I never thought I would be combining all of them into one piece. My parents were supportive of my creative abilities from day one, which I am extremely grateful for. I have so many fond memories of making collages with my Mom as a kid. We would sit side by side and collage vision boards all of the time. I took as many art classes as I could growing up and began to develop my skills in acrylic painting. At College of Charleston, I majored in studio art and decided to study every medium that the college offered. While there, I took several painting classes, and also took two print making classes. It was so fun to discover printmaking! I really enjoyed how methodical the whole process was and developing the final image was so rewarding. As far as working with resin, that skill came much later when I decided to start making my collage pieces a few years ago. I liked how the resin gave the piece a very polished, shiny finish. I learned how to work with resin through watching Youtube videos and certainly had a lot of trial and error along the way. It took me a few months to really perfect my technique of resining but I am glad to have the skills I have today. I started out making small 10×10″ collages with resin and now I can confidently resin pieces that are 3 feet!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Originally from Salisbury, NC, I grew up on a horse farm lined with a creek and acres of woods. I was put in art classes from the time I was 5 years old where I made crafts in the ‘art room’ in the loft of the barn on my family’s property. I have been making art my whole life and enjoy learning and experimenting with new art techniques. While studying Studio Art at College of Charleston from 2010-2014, I decided to not have a focus and instead took art classes in every medium the college offered.

While still in college, I started interning at Charleston Artist Collective which is a local art gallery that represents all local artists. I worked there for 5 years and learned about the inner workings of an art gallery. I helped grow the business from one location to 4 cities with brick and mortars, representing over 60 artists. I really enjoyed working there but began to feel pulled to pursue my own career as an artist. In December of 2018 I left the company and was able to find a studio at Redux Contemporary Art Center about 6 months later. I have had a studio there for 4 almost years now! Being at Redux has been a really amazing experience because they rent studios to 40 artists, have art exhibitions, and also have educational programming. In the last several years I have formed so many meaningful relationships with other artists, had my first solo show, and have started teaching art lessons all through Redux!

I currently offer private art lessons in foundational art skills and also offer one time workshops. Workshops I have offered in the past have been a zodiac sign collage workshop, a Halloween wreath making workshop, and a plein air painting workshop. Because I am a mixed media artist, I am able to teach a wide variety of mediums to students!

I am represented by a gallery here in Charleston called Grand Bohemian art Gallery and I have my own online art shop where clients can buy my originals and prints directly from me! My work has been described as psychedelic, ethereal, and spiritual. I draw inspiration from nature, sacred geometry, and tarot cards! I enjoy vibrant color and pattern and incorporate a lot of symbolism into my work. My art is very unique and will always provide a vibrant focal point in your space.

I have also recently created an account with Redbubble, where you can purchase merchandise with my artwork printed on it! And I have a line of puzzles with Jiggy Studios as well.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The thing that our society seems to forget is that artists are the only people in this world who are making life beautiful. Every screen printed t-shirt, concert poster, song on the radio, music video, mural, painting, collage, etc was created by an artist! In my opinion, artists should be the richest people in the world. We are the ones creating a more bearable and meaningful environment for everyone else! I feel like artists are often taken for granted and their work is extremely undervalued. The more society can invest in supporting/hiring local artists and creatives, the more beautiful our communities will be!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I love this question! My main goal as an artist and art teacher is always to inspire! Being creative is so fun and so healing. I hope people look at my work and feel inspired to get outside and connect with nature and also explore their spirituality. I also want people to feel inspired to create their own art and explore their own creative abilities! Anyone can learn a new creative skill. The experience is so rewarding. If I can inspire just one person through my work then I consider that a success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kateritchiestudio.com/
• Instagram: @kateritchiestudio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ritchie-studio/
• Other: https://jiggystudios.com/collections/kate-ritchie-x-jiggy-studio https://www.redbubble.com/people/kvritchi/shop?asc=u&ref=account-nav-dropdown

Image Credits
Joanne Nguyen Taylor Czerwinski