Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kathrine Allen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kathrine , appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

It took me several years to break into being able to be a full time artist. During that time I had several “real jobs”. The jobs I took however were all connected with the arts and helped me improve my skill sets. A photographer for a small newspaper, a picture framer, and I worked in an art supply/printing shop. All of these jobs helped me find my way, and learn. The turning point came when I moved to the US from Canada and discovered the juried art festival circuit. Looking back, I could have sped up the process a bit. But part of my process has also been failing, learning the hard way. Finding your friends on the art show circuit makes it easier, and becomes a support system for finding the better shows and all the backstage knowledge needed to make traveling from show to show easier.

Kathrine , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

What I do as a visual artist has changed over the years. My short stint in art school earned me an Associates of Arts diploma, but didn’t leave me with the skills needed to make good work. I sought out artists whose work I admired and took workshops with them regularly. My focus began with painting and block printing. Two choices I made simply because I didn’t have access to the equipment needed for clay or photography.

Reductive linocut prints were what I was making when I first started jurying into shows. Pulled by hand, labor intensive, and very fussy.

Acrylic painting took over for several years, which then gave way to mixed media collages. I started to revisit a series of dresspaintings that I had experimented with when living in Canada. Vintage dresses, were soaked in acrylic medium and adhered to canvas. The canvas with the bas relief dress on top was then painted, and the narrative storytelling began. Each dress became a character of a memory or dream.

That series then began to pick up the practice of linocut printing yet again. But instead of small editions on paper, I printed the blocks onto tissue and collaged them onto the bigger paintings.

Currently, the dresses are waiting in the wings as I explore the process of layering relief prints on canvas.

Which brings us to today. I’m currently continuing the series of linocut prints collaged onto canvas. Dozens of hand carved blocks are printed in various colors. This becomes my palette, I layer the tissue thin prints on canvas, and coat with clear acrylic. Once I have the look I want I often add stitches of embroidery floss to accentuate lines or connect patterns. These latest works remind me of abstract landscapes, with bold use of color and pattern.

Oh, and as an aside, several years ago I began collaborating with my then boyfriend, now husband Kyle Osvog. Kyle is a ceramic artist and sculptor. I now glaze his production work, vases mostly, these pieces also travel with us to festivals and sell at galleries.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

One of the best parts of working for yourself is the freedom to make your own decisions in your career. To be able to choose what you want to do each day to move forward. The most rewarding aspect is when you connect with the viewer on a deeper level. When someone sees a bit of themselves in a piece, or looks deeply into it and finds a way to lose themselves for a moment.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I guess the only way to answer this question is remember the patch of really bad shows. Early in my career I would take any available opportunity to show. I found myself overbooked, and underproducing. I lost money at 6 shows in a row, and almost gave up. I wish I could remember exactly what changed. But I just didn’t give up, sometimes you may be broke, and kinda broken. But the only way out for me was through. And I wasn’t going to walk away from years of learning. I continued to apply to better shows and got accepted enough to keep going.

Contact Info:

• Website: Kathrineallen.com
• Instagram: KathrineAllenArt
• Facebook: Kathrine Allen Visual Artist

Image Credits
Image credits are just me. I use ArtRooms for some photos. I have an active subscription.