Interview
Dolinka Katie Lee
Dolinka Katie Lee is a Arizona transplant and Minnesota native, she uses her love of art coupled with her skills as a Reiki Master and channeler to create one of a kind pieces for healing, well-being, inspiration and bringing awareness to human emotion. Since 2012 she has been creating custom artwork for her clients and friends, and practicing the healing arts. She also shares her experiences of supernatural and dream studies on her podcast Spirit of The North.
Dolinka finds inspiration from nature and her love of the interconnectedness of nature shows us this. She is a full time mother, while working with clients in one on one sessions offering energy healing, personalized spiritual guidance, and other mediumship services, while also pursuing her passion for art and podcasting. When she isn’t devoting her time to mothering, recording, helping clients or painting, she is studying human energetics and writing a book about her otherworldly experiences.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“My journey with art started very early in my life, I remember as a toddler playing with finger paints. My parents encouraged my exploration with art in various forms. So I started with play dough, then into making vases out of paper Mache, working with pastels and one of my favorites, ceramics. We had a pottery studio in our garage for a while, and I loved it. Using the kick wheel my father made was my first experience with synergy. I got a true feeling for the clay and loved the control of using my feet and hands to make art simultaneously, it was a huge learning experience.
When I was 11 years old I discovered French Impressionism and fell in love with the work of Claud Monet, his study on light and the feeling he conveyed in his paintings inspired me to paint religiously every day. When I ran out of canvas I would go around the house to forage for cardboard or any surface I could get my hands on, there are a lot of paintings in my mothers basement from that time composed on wood, tin foil, plastic and cardboard.
One day when I ran out of those items I took to painting my walls and ceiling, turning my room into a cloud landscape. I think learning to paint on a variety of surfaces helped me get a feel for acrylics and gave me permission to play with different mediums. Through high school I continued my exploration with charcoal, pastels, acrylics, water color, and ceramics. It was trial and error for me. I was home schooled from K- 8th grade. During this time I spent hours up in my room studying and reading about Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and reading Shakespeare, Keats and other romantic poets. I think they influenced how my artwork developed, and what my subjects were. I took a few classes before high school, and in 9th grade bonded with my high school art teacher who really encouraged me to keep going and try new things, it felt like she believed in me and that has stuck with me my whole life.
My painting slowed down in my 20’s, but I tried to keep my paintbrushes alive. I started making jewelry and selling my art at music festivals and farmers markets. I sold anything from painted magnets to giant paintings of Victorian ladies and dramatic Geishas. After a while, I started getting commissioned for custom paintings for people, and I started branching out from there professionally. ”
What inspires you?
“My biggest inspirations would have to be nature, Love, self expression, freedom, and the interconnectedness of the universe. There is nothing more inspiring than witnessing an act of love, or spending a day completely surrounded by nature, it helps me step outside of myself to experience something much bigger than my self perceptions. When looking into the genius of nature, each season, each ecosystem, it makes me grateful to be here in such a beautiful places where I can be a part of this amazing symphony of life, even on the rough days, there is always an element of thankfulness to it. What could be more inspiring than the human experience in such a place?”
“My biggest inspirations would have to be nature, Love, self expression, freedom, and the interconnectedness of the universe.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Healing and exploring consciousness is a large theme in my work, in 2012 I began studying and practicing Reiki healing and it fundamentally changed how I interacted with everyone and everything around me, so it was only natural that my painting style would also be affected by this massive lifestyle change as well. I started incorporating Reiki into my paintings, learning to hone in, and channel energy, realizing the alchemy of art, and how I could translate my experiences and inner healing into something other people could experience for themselves on a more personal and individual level. Something that came to my awareness was that the more I meditated and opened myself up to the process, the more I saw visions and impressions, and it helped me understand not just more about myself, but about human emotion and energetic transference.
I became more and more mindful when I set out to paint, more deliberate with my colors, symbolism and where my mind and heart are. I noticed when I channeled certain emotions and energy into the paintings, I started getting more feedback about how it was affecting the people viewing them, and I started working from a more purposeful place to help promote healing, and awareness with my art.”
How would you describe your work?
“I would describe my art as glimpses into layers of experience.”
Which artists influence you most?
“So much of my early years were inspired by those French Impressionists, romantic poets, and rock music. Now as an adult I find myself moved by artists that have the courage to paint with their whole being, sharing their raw emotions, the purity of it impacts me greatly, and encourages me to be brave like them, no matter what their medium of choice is. Music is one of my big influences and always has been, lately I have been listening to a lot of instrumentals and folk music, and I think it has affected my color choices more and more. When I was listening to more psychedelic rock, it was all neon colors, and now my colors are starting to soften.”
What is your creative process like?
“When I first started out there was almost a guaranteed low level anxiety when I sat down to paint. But now it is the complete opposite. When I sit down to begin a painting I start with my breathing, and checking in with myself. I may light incense, or burn white sage, light a candle to bring in the fire element, and invite it to join me and offer its light and passion to whatever I am creating. I also channel Reiki and will do a ceremony of clearing and charging my water, paints, canvas and tools with it before I ever touch a paintbrush. Then I tune into the focus of the painting, and do a silent meditation to merge with that energy as much as I can, and then I am ready to begin. Sometimes I blast music on my headphones and let the paint fly, other times I need absolute silence.
I love to paint alone, in stillness or in chaos, but having my space be available to me and the process is important, it’s very difficult for me to paint in a busy room or area. So I tend to paint at night after everyone is asleep.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Art can be great at many things, and it is up to the artist to find their own authentic voice with it. The most impactful artists strike a cord within us, whether that cord is emotional, political, healing, expanding consciousness, conveying information, or reminding us of something important. That is the beauty of art, it can be anything, therefore, I would say an artists role in society can be many great things, we do get the freedom of creating a role and then filling it, we just have to be brave enough to step out and follow that calling.
Following our unique calling impacts our culture massively in a world where we are told how and what to be by advertising and social media. I think we all as humans have the potential to break the mold, and be authentic, which is part of what makes a artist an artist!”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I had the pleasure of participating in Capture Minnesota, and had some of my photography featured on their website.
Raw Artists hosted me as a featured artist in Salt Lake City for an exclusive exhibition and in Minneapolis.
I was a featured Pedestal Floral Artist for two consecutive years in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts “Art in Bloom” exhibit and I look forward to returning again this year for their spring show!
Featured and won an award from “Light Space and Time” magazine in their international all women’s art issue for one of my photographs.”
Website: DolinkaRising
Instagram: @dolinkarisingart
