Katie St. Clair
"I am inspired by these rich sensations of living and dying life. The crunching of pine needles beneath my feet. Decaying leaves under the muddy surface of a puddle. The lichen that is inseparable from its stone. These little worlds woven out of intricate parts are in constant flux: cycles of life, death, decay, new life. I want to know the underbelly of the land and my psyche— to live with it, in it and still see the beauty.
On close investigation, my immense landscape paintings reveal themselves as fractured combinations of complex layers of paint, collage material and photographs that reflect upon the natural world. I gather these images from first hand experiences within my environment and, most recently, from roadside locations that challenge my assumptions about where nature is most vibrantly manifested.
Drainage ditches, land between gas stations and street medians are places that breed uncertainty. They are largely ignored boundary lands, gathering the detritus of our culture into a tentative wildness. Simple acts of engagement with these surroundings have profound consequences for my work. Whether on foot or bike, my surrounding environment guides my investigations in the studio.
In my studio, I communicate the emotional and physical experience of crawling around in the bush, making connections and touching everything I encounter. The detritus brings the natural materials into focus by allowing us to make connections through form. This builds associations between the objects especially when they exist side by side. The trash amplifies nature and nature amplifies trash, but they both resolve in the same way: decay."
Education/CV:
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN STAMPS SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN| Ann Arbor MI
Masters of Fine Arts | 2014
THE ART ACADEMY OF CINCINNATI | Cincinnati OH
Bachelors of Fine Art, Painting | Magna Cum Laude | 2006
Wilder Traveling Scholarship | Europe | 2006
Akademie der Bildenden Künste | München | 2006
Parsons The New School of Design | New York | 2005
PROFESSSIONAL EXPERIENCE
SELF EMPLOYED ARTIST | Cincinnati OH
Studio Work and Commissioned Jobs | 2009- 2014
Community Revitalization Mural | Children’s Hospital | 2006
DAVID GOLDBERG DESIGN | PRODUCTION ARTIST | New York NY
Hand Made Wallpaper Artist | 2007- 2008
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | GRADUATE STUDENT INSTRUCTOR | Ann Arbor MI
Lenses and Painting | 2013
Senior Integrative Projects | 2012- 2013
Organizing Visual Space | 2012 and 2014
Technology and the Environment | 2011
HAPPEN INC. | PROGRAM INSTRUCTOR | Cincinnati OH
Art Teacher | 2011- 2012
Community Garden Facilitator | 2012
STARFIRE COUNCIL | VISITING LECTURER | Cincinnati OH
Mural Project | 2010
Runway Project | 2011
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2014 | Munro Gallery| WaterLogged | Albion MI
2014 | Slusser Gallery| Wayside | Ann Arbor MI
2014 | Enviro Art Gallery | Second Nature | Ann Arbor MI
2013 | NCRC Gallery | Landbetween | Ann Arbor MI
2007 | Global Lead Art Gallery | Cincinnati OH
2007 | KraftHous | Solo | Cincinnati OH
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2014 | Toledo Art Museum| 95th Toledo Area Artists Exhibition| Toledo OH
2014 | Apexart| Trans-Farm| Detroit MI
2014 | 333 Midland| Big Paintings at the Factory| Detroit MI
2014 | Ann Arbor Art Center| Decompose/Recompose| Ann Arbor MI
2014 | Zhou B. Art Center | National Wet Paint Biennial | Chicago IL
2013 | Matthaei Botanical Gardens | 50 Shades of Green | Ann Arbor MI
2013 | River Gallery | Biology and Art in Creative Minds | Ann Arbor MI
2013 | Work Gallery | Test Kitchen | Ann Arbor MI
2013 | Kuaba Gallery | Torn to Grace | Indianapolis IN
2013 | Green Road Studios | A+D 13 | Ann Arbor MI
2013 | University of Michigan | Juried Art | Ann Arbor MI
2013 | Naming Ceremony Online Gallery | Storybook Fragments | Los Angeles CA
2012 | Green Road Studios | Ten Degrees | Ann Arbor MI
2011 | Slusser Gallery | All Student Exhibition | Ann Arbor MI
2011 | Greenwich House Gallery | Cincinnati OH
2010 | Creative Gallery | Maps | Cincinnati OH
2010 | Arts Space Beijing | Global Art Perspectives: Art 2010 Annual Preview | Beijing China
2010 | Broadway Gallery | Global Art Perspectives: Art 2010 Annual Preview | New York NY
2009 | Broadway Gallery | Derived, Borrowed, and Stolen | New York NY
2007 | Canal Chapter | Residency Project | New York NY
2006 | Akademie der Bildenden Künste München | Student Show | Munich Germany
2006 | Pearlman Gallery | If You’re a Dreamer Come In | Cincinnati OH
2005 | Chidlaw Gallery | It’s All About the Take-Off | Cincinnati OH
2005 | Parsons The New School of Design | Come Close | New York NY
2004 | Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center | I&P Show | Covington, KY
AWARDS
2014 | Best in Show- 95th Toledo Area Artists Exhibition at the Toledo Art Museum
2014 | Athena Art Society Award at the Toledo Art Museum
2014 | Smucker/Wagstaff Project Scholarship
2013 | Smucker/Wagstaff Project Scholarship
2013 | CEW Elsie Choy Lee Scholarship
2013 | University of Michigan, Juried Art Competition
2006 | The CJK Calendar Award
2004 | Bertha Langhorst Werner Scholarship
2004 | Art Academy of Cincinnati Excellence in Second Year Scholarship
2003 | Art Academy of Cincinnati Excellence in First Year Scholarship
2002 | Art Academy of Cincinnati Eugene F. Rowe Scholarship
RESIDENCIES
2014 | The Philip C. Curtis Artist-in-Residence Program
2013 | Porcupine Mountain National Park A.I.R Program
2009 | Vermont Studio Center Residency Program
2007 | Canal Chapter Residency Program
