12/26/2013

Who Is Kathy Durst Artist

By Marcia Marks


Okay, you won't really turn into Kathy Durst artist by viewing her work but it will certainly inspire you. Kathy was born in Redwing Minnesota and grew up in Illinois, attending an all-girl school. She earned a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree at the Austin campus of the University of Texas as well as an all-level teaching certificate in the visual arts. She is retired from teaching, but remained very active in the arts. A selection of examples was selected for display of her first-ever solo display at the Ross Gallery in early 2014. The theme of these pieces appears to be Noah's Ark, because it is full of animals. This appears to be one of her favorite subjects.

With 25 years of teaching under her belt, there is unlikely to be a medium or method to which she has not been exposed. Most of what is available for viewing on the Internet is composed of paper painting collage. Her "Roseate Spoonbill" exemplifies what can be achieved with deft usage of paints and carefully chosen scraps of colored and textured papers.

"Lammie" and "Yulka" illustrate what can be achieved by creatively employing paint and carefully selected scraps of paper. In "Yulka, " we see an empty soft drink bottle showing through a floral patterned swimsuit for flotation. This is a very deft application of the collage painting technique.

The materials are readily available and inexpensive and the techniques can be taught to preschoolers. With her 25 years' experience and maturity, Ms Durst produces some complex and ingeniously patterned results. It is easy to find tutorials of collage methods on the Internet. If you really want to understand the artist, it is worth spending some time getting to know the medium.

In terms of subject matter, Kathy seems partial to animals, although this could be because that is the theme of her show at the Ross Gallery. "Take Me Along, " featuring a pair of scuba divers, goes a long way to showing the breadth of creativity that can be achieved with paper paint collage as opposed to a plain old boring brush and paint. Here, the pair are swirling through a sea of musical notes and scraps from an atlas. It looks more ethereal than it sounds.

The artist's work inspires creativity. You can't help but seek out more and more examples of what she has produced. You will also be driven to learn more about the technique and start imagining the fruits of your own efforts. In no time at all, you will feel like a part of the artistic community and assembling your own materials and working space.

One of her most breathtaking works is "Rose." The flower itself is in shades of coral and flamingo, with splashes dotted around discreetly in the surrounding foliage. This may or not be in the same medium of painted paper collage but it very well could be. She certainly has the talent and vision to pull this off.

Kathy Durst artist uses textured papers and stencils to give her work character and depth. Don't be discouraged if your own efforts look like something a four-year-old produced in Sunday School. Give yourself a quarter of a century and people all over the world will be admiring your efforts.




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