Friday, December 27, 2013

Getting To Know Kathy Durst Artist

By Marcia Marks


Kathy Durst artist is an American art teacher from Redwing, Minnesota. Growing up in Rockford, Illinois, she earned a teaching certificate in Visual Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Austin campus of the University of Texas. Retired from teaching, it was not long before she was invited to participate in her first solo showing of her ark-full of paper painted collage animals in 2014 at the Ross Gallery.

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 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 materials involved in painted paper collage are easily available and not at all expensive. The method can be taught to a group of under-fives in a matter of an afternoon. Give these same children a quarter of a century of experience and the Durst talent and skill, and the future is going to be fun to watch. Try and view some videos on the Internet of people using this method. It will give you an insight into the artist's work. It is incredibly relaxing to view an artist at a day at the office.

Most of the subjects of Durst's work that you will find involve animals; this is the theme of her Ross Gallery exposition. In the whimsical, "Take Me Along, " you see two scuba divers working their way through a sea of atlas cuttings and musical notes. They look really happy. Try THAT with a set of watercolors and paper.

View a few of her efforts and you will be itching to start producing your own masterpieces. Spend time losing yourself in the detail and really study her imaginative use of colors and textures. You will soon be clearing a space in your home for your own "studio" and hoarding interesting scraps of paper to the amusement of your friends and family.

Her "Rose, " is a different kettle of fish. Apart from being a departure from animals, it may or may not be another example of the painted paper collage technique. It could be. She is that good. The blossom is in shades of flamingo and coral, with little splashes of the main hues dotted around in the surrounding foliage.

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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