Interview
Katrin Waite
Katrin Waite is a self-trained abstract artist who holds a doctorate in history. She uses oil, acrylic, pastels, mixed media, ink, metal, rust - in short, everything that is usable - to create her art.
Until 2011, Katrin focused on accumulating and perfecting her artistic skills. During that time, her artworks were held in private collections in numerous countries.
Since her first exhibition in 2011 at the Trialog Gallery in Berlin, Katrin has exhibited her work through various solo and group shows at various galleries in Berlin, Vermont, and New York.
In 2017, Katrin participated in an art residency at Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester. She has traveled around the world, taking art trips to Portugal, Finland and the US. Katrin is a member of the DaVallia Gallery in Chester, Vermont.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Before I learned to read and write, I started to draw and paint. That was my very first expression. Once I started school, my other side, the analytical one, began to work. Both worlds - visual art and research - found me separately and never left me. I keep this constellation, and adjust the balance between my two professions very carefully: being an artist and a research historian/philologist. The two sides feed each other with endless inspiration.”
What would you say inspires you most?
“Curiosity. This is the key to being able to see things. After all, seeing through layers and crossing the boundaries of the obvious is the most important tool for the visual artist. I am astonished how rather unimportant things, fragments, momentary and fading pictures, or memories can trigger the access into a new project, an artwork or a full series. The key element in all things is composition.
I decided to take classes in Chinese calligraphy. The subtle constellation of ink, brush and the movements of my fingers opens entire worlds for turning a space into an experience. This is the journey that I undergo while creating, and the viewer by looking. Changing my own perspective is the basic element to learning and developing new artistic patterns.”
“One major theme in my work is communication. Art, as most interactive things, is a communicative expression. Both memory/time and communication are the first messengers of transitions and changes. I try to express these issues in my artworks.
At the end, it happens that an artwork reveals changes that I had not noticed before. Such a dialogue is a rare treasure, but it happens.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I am always playing with the tension between balance and a certain degree of dis-balance. I firmly believe that a well placed dis-balance forces a change in everything. Building upon that insight, two main themes keep moving me in every possible context: transferring memories and communication.
Memory and time is one complex that has a deep impact in the process of painting itself. My own memory landscape becomes part of the evolving artwork - it triggers me to take choices in terms of colors, shapes, which medium to use and how to work transparency. I do overpaint. Sometimes my newest artworks carry an older composition under the visible layers. The overpainted art still presents its own narrative, even when not visible it speaks to our senses.”
How would you describe your work?
“Diverse. I understand that art is one medium that allows us to cross boundaries. The variety is endless. Not only does this concept fit the themes I am working on, it is an immense playground and source of joy. I enjoy working on all sizes, on various surfaces - the stubbornness of sandpaper is beautiful, just to name one example - in color nuances and medium.
I worked with transparency, using acrylics for many years, then switched to oil colors, and later to mixed media. I combined all of that, added metal pigmented medium and ended up with oxidized metal. I love to work with rust. It is a great expression of a treasured memory. Bright colors, contrasts and lines structure the worlds I am creating. However, this is a lifelong journey. There is a lot more media waiting.”
Which artists influence you most?
“A long time ago, I became intrigued by the art of Max Ernst. The elegance of the shapes and the techniques he used set a process in motion for me. When I moved from Germany to the United States, the colors and textures of the landscapes and nature inspired me the most. That was a starting point to study the contemporary art of the Native American, especially Hopi, Shiwi, the Tewa, Diné (Navajo). These ancient traditions place artistic shapes and contrasts in the circle of life and nature. That continues to teach me a lot, especially about balance and time.
Contemporary artists such as Sheldon Harvey or Antoinette Thompson question the historical context that was constructed for long years. The balance between tradition and change is expressed in beautiful colors and contrasts. In these artworks, figures look displaced and within traditional harmony at the same time. That process of an almost desperate search creates a high tension, almost an imperative. In a similar way but in a different place, I look at the work of El Anatsui, an artist born in Ghana and working in Nigeria.”
What is your creative process like?
“I never know when a painting is ready. I assume, because it is not. I work in a very subtle tension between concept and process. This tension is not a constant figure; it is in permanent change. I have some idea in my mind when I approach a new artwork. I force myself to listen to its own voice, to step back and let the evolving composition find its own way, with my help of course.
The most rewarding moments are these of unexpected decisions. This is when a hint of an idea makes me choose a color or a tool that I did not have in mind, and really changes the course of the process. This is a conversation between the artwork and my subconscious at its finest. Of course, knowing the media I am working with, I can transform the composition into a concept.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I have the impression that I, as an artist, am not fully equipped with the thick filters needed to save me from the surrounding world. This is a phenomenon that can involve great moments of joy: seeing fragments, shapes and beautiful contrasts, light and beauty. Yet, it can be painful. There is no sunblock from the bright light.
My main themes, transforming memories and communication, regularly lead me into an unsettled stage. The world is changing, and every change pushes us out of our comforting routine. In my art, I attempt to make this experience bearable using inviting and pleasant colors. Or at least, I want to create a perspective of, ‘We are going to be alright, no matter what’. I think this is a role that I am capable of. I chose it for myself.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I mostly show my art in Vermont, USA. Southern Vermont Art Center and several galleries, such as Ellenbogen Gallery in Manchester and DaVallia Gallery in Chester gave me great possibilities for solo exhibitions. In the middle of the pandemic, in Fall 2020, I was invited to join Singulart, an online gallery based in Paris.”
