We recently connected with Katherine Pauley and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Katherine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

My life growing up was difficult in that I went to four junior high and six high schools, It was hard to make friends and I remembered the slights that I received. Many years later I captured this feeling by creating a doll in a cage. The doll is cracked, tied with ropes. in a birdcage with all the potential slights bound around the cage. The seed feeder is full of rocks and the water feeder is full of sticks. The title of the piece is “Sticks and Stones may Break my Bones, but Words Will Kill my Soul.”

Katherine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an artist who does a layer of meaning behind every piece I work on. My formal art education is limited to workshops and online classes since I made the decision to become an artist following a 33-year career in education. I was a history and English major in college. So my art often tells a story and has several levels of meaning.

For example, because my collection of alphabet books did not include a Springfield Alphabet, I decided to create one. I choose the background colors to reflect our land, the prairie—blue for sky and water, brown for our rich soil, green for the prairie grasses and plant life, yellow for the hot summer sun and wildflowers, and red for the barns of the farms and brick of our homes and streets. I decided to create the images on maps because Springfield is located at the crossroads of our nation. We are also very close to the center of the Northwest quadrant of the earth at 39:46 N and 89.38 W.

I had fun choosing maps to add another level of meaning to the images. For example, Lincoln’s home is pictured in the background of the letter L. The papers I chose to create images have words that reflect the theme of the letter. Some of the images are drawn and colored on maps, some are printed on maps. The census page on the Q is the Lincoln family on the 1860 census. The other images on the Q are some of my grandparents and great-grandparents.

This alphabet is only one example of an ethos of layered meanings that I incorporate into all my art.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I believe that everyone who enjoys beauty is an artist. We may have to search to find our medium—it might be a canvas, a song, an algebraic equation, a garden, a poem or prose, a gourmet meal—whatever we decide to create. Over the years I have tried many mediums and have found a niche in mixed media. I am happiest when playing with a variety of artistic materials.

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

I think that art is vital to our health and well-being, both in the creating process and in the enjoyment of others’ creations.

Contact Info:

• Website: katherinepippinpauley.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katherine.pippinpauley/