We recently connected with Katie Chatham and have shared our conversation below.
Katie , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
One of my most meaningful and personal pieces I’ve worked on is the painting “Give Me the Death I Need.” It was about finding and reclaiming your intuition and inner fire. In this piece the subject’s hands are hovering over her heart and her stomach. She is kindling her inner knowing, making and holding space for her power. As a whole, my work explores the human spirit and its capacity for change and transformation. This specific piece was about finding the hero within. Often we dampen our inner voice, and there can be many reasons for that–our environment, our upbringing, who’s surrounding us, overexposure to social media, etc. Today we are taught to seek validation, answers, and advice largely externally, making it easier to forget and trust ourselves to know what is best for us.
After graduating from college during covid, I felt very disconnected from myself. I had to go through a process of listening for the small voice inside after years of shushing it. Tapping into your inner compass after brushing it off for so long felt nearly impossible. I had to ask myself many questions. Among the most important was: what sets my soul afire? At first I didn’t have an answer. I asked again and again and found myself having plenty to say.
Learning to trust yourself both breaks your heart and heals it. I still ask myself that question, and the answer is in my art. It’s hard for me to stray from these themes because I am so in awe of our resiliency. We all undergo and overcome hardship on a regular basis, and I love celebrating us and our ability to be the hero of our own stories.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a visual artist from Southern Alabama. I received a B.F.A. in Painting from Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA. My recent body of work has explored narratives that speak to the human experience of transformation and our capacity for change. My large-scale paintings focus on the Hero’s Journey as an archetypal example of human fortitude and transfiguration. Working in oil on canvas, I depict instances of metamorphosis with dramatic imagery of the human figure.
I have deep love and respect for the cycles of life, death, and rebirth that we experience. My intention within this body of work is to communicate themes that are universal and bring about connection between people and mutual understanding and love through shared experience.
I’ve exhibited my work in juried exhibitions and other group exhibitions in the Southeast U.S. and virtually. I was a resident artist at Watershed Studios in Galway, Ireland, lasting from May-June 2022. My latest events and exhibitions include the local art festivals, Annual MAC Member’s Show in July-August 2022, Visionary Projects’ Overexposed in August 2021, and SCAD’s Virtual Open Studio in May 2021. I’m currently living and working in Alabama.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is when something that you made resonates deeply with a complete stranger, and in talking about the work you share this intimate moment of understanding, compassion, and empathy. We are all much more alike than we would like to think and I love pointing out the similarities.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My mission driving my creative journey is connection. I think deep down we all long for genuine, authentic connection. By exploring universal themes within my work, I feel that I am able to foster that sense of connection, of being seen and understood. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.katiechatham.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiechathamstudio/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@katiechathamstudio?lang=en