Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Getting To Know 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 experience adding beauty to the world, the artist has used almost every medium and technique imaginable. The work that is available online is mostly produced using paper painting collage. "Roseate Spoonbill" is an example of the level of detail and range of colors and textures that can be achieved using this technique.

"Lammie", and her "Roseatte Spoonbill" illustrate the amazing amount of depth and detail that can be achieved with fun and simple techniques and materials. "Yulka, " a collage showing a young girl in a swimming pool using an empty soft drink bottle for floatation. This really shows off the three dimensional effects that can be achieved with paper paint collage.

The beauty of this technique is that the materials are cheaply and readily available and the method can be taught to the under-fives. Ms Durst, with a level of maturity and experience that comes with retirement age, is a virtuoso. View some tutorials of paint collage on the Internet and you will be more able to fully appreciate what the artist is about.

The artist appears to be going through an animalistic phase in terms of her chosen subject matter. This may be the result of her forthcoming show at the Ross Gallery. In "Take Me Along, " we see a couple of scuba divers breezing their way through a sea of cuttings from at atlas. They are apparently swimming to music, because they are also awash in a sprinkling of musical notes. This imagery is difficult to achieve with a simple paintbrush and paper.

View this artist's work at your own peril and be prepared to spend time and money experimenting with your own painted paper collage artistry. It is positively inspiring. Seriously, just watching someone do it on YouTube is entrancing.

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 in her work to give it character and depth. As beginners, the best we can hope for is a lovingly-produced Sunday School project. Find the date of her next showing and track down her work. You will be hooked.




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