We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kathryn Renee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kathryn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
For the past fifteen years or so, I’ve had the pleasure and privilege to pursue what has become to me, the most meaningful project of my life. Slowly, amidst life’s ever changing landscape, I’ve continued to build a library of paintings that are collectively known as the ‘Tales of a Ragged Doll.” These artworks tell the stories of those who have been willing to share with me their struggles, wounds, addictions, and heartaches — beautiful people who have opened themselves to me and allowed me the honor of depicting their stories through paint. The work is not something I take lightly, as each story is unique and meaningful. My hope is to put into being that which is often left unspoken, and to offer for viewers, the opportunity to seek out understanding and healing; the opportunity to see the dark spots in their life as a beautiful piece of who they are and how they can connect with others.
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
Perhaps I go too far when I say that I was born to create, but I honestly cannot recall a time in my life when the impulse to do so wasn’t with me. From a very young age, I knew I would be an artist and throughout life’s winding roads, I have yet to stray from this path. So when others ask me what it is that I do, I tell them I am a visual artist, an oil painter, a story teller. Everyone has a story — a story full of joy and heartache, pleasure and pain. Our stories are unique to us and yet simultaneously universal. They have the power to connect us to each other, and allow us to see the truth of our personhood. I paint these stories, in an effort to bring into the light that we which all try to hide, cover up, avoid, but which binds us to our neighbors and comprises the bulk our humanity.
Simply put, I believe we are all broken and that our brokenness is the very thing tying us to each other. The dolls I employ in my artwork, give voice to the masks and scars and patches and replacement parts we carry with us, unseen by those with whom we interact. Shame, doubt, addiction, guilt, grief, or loneliness. What would you look like if your internal thoughts and wounds were made visible? What are those things you carry that no one else knows about? I’d like to tell that story and to let you know, you’re not alone.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Ten years ago, I made the decision to get married. The man I committed to sharing my life with, was clear that he wanted to have a family, to raise kids. And while that wasn’t something I felt strongly about in either direction, I knew that choosing this man to marry meant I was also choosing, one day, to become a mother. When the time came to start our family, my husband, knowing my creative dreams and goals, was worried that I might one day come to regret my decision or to possibly even resent our children. For the record, I absolutely love my children and do not regret even the slightest, my decision to become a mother. I reassured him as much. I’ve always known that I would not, could not be deterred from my goals, even if having children meant the pace at which I pursued these things, slowed down. Of course, there is much I could say on the subject of motherhood, but for our purposes here, I’ll narrow my thoughts to one aspect in particular. I chose to marry and to have kids, knowing that the decision to do so might very well interrupt all my career pursuits. But I was unwilling to risk certain parts of living, parts that could offer such incredibly rich experiences, in order to do that which will always be in me to do. The drive to create is part of who I am, and therefore cannot ever be extinguished. I will always create. I will create in the midst of living life, not in lieu of it. I will create as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as an artist.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Shortly before graduating college with a degree in Art, I made the decision to apply to grad school, not to study art but theology. I joked with a friend that I was attempting to combine two of the worst paying jobs into something new and in so doing, was likely to remain impoverished for the rest of my days. The truth is, I don’t pursue this career in hopes of scoring big, winning the rat race or becoming famous. Don’t get me wrong, any of those outcomes would be welcomed, helpful even, but not necessary for my definition of success. As a creative, I am rather motivated by the poetic parts of life, the things that remind us not how to live, but why living matters. Non-creatives are, of course, vital to the practical continuation of life on earth. They keep us fed and housed and saving for retirement — all important and necessary. But we creatives are tasked with the care and keeping of souls. It is our role to remain in touch with our humanity. The beauty of a misty morning, the power of a stolen glance or the depth of a grief when faced with loss of love. Creativity gives voice to the experience of living, and I am driven to speak that language. So it does not matter to me if I own a home or retire to the beach one day, as long as I’ve made a difference in someone’s life for the better. As long as I’ve helped someone to know for themselves, that their life matters. Only then, can I say I’m rich, only then will I have lived a successful life.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.talesofaraggeddoll.com
- Instagram: @KatReneeStudio
Image Credits
Artist Portrait photo courtesy of Morgana Wingard, Namuh Media