“Limbo” at WAAS Gallery
November 16th, 2012 – January, 18th 2013
Kathryn’s “Tribute Series” paintings on view
Limbo
First Annual Group Show
W.A.A.S Gallery
2722 Logan Street Dallas, TX 75215

Kathryn Van Steenhuyse: “Raw Painting” at Iowa Hall Gallery
November 12th – December 7th, 2012
Kirkwood Community College presents:
Kathryn Van Steenhuyse: Raw Painting at the Iowa Hall Gallery
Admission is free to the public. The gallery is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2-4 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 3-5 p.m. A reception for Van Steenhuyse is on Thursday, December 6, at 11 a.m.

For more details on Kathryn’s work and these two shows please visit kvansteenhuyse.com.

7 PM
NakedCity Gallery
121 N. Mead

NakedCity Gallery is located at 121 N. Mead between Douglas and 1st.  We suggest parking in the lot at 1st and Mead and walking 1/2 block to NakedCity.  Then catch the trolley at Washington between Douglas and 1st  to the other galleries and end up back at NakedCity with your car.  For more information and maps please click HERE or pick up a copy of NakedCity Magazine.

Kathryn speaks about systems, her painting process, and her new show "Immaculate Canvas."

It was amazing to see the progression of styles over the course of Kathryn’s career in this casual talkback where we the listener were invited to, and often did, ask questions about Kate’s work and learn more about how her abstract pieces came to be.  Notably, was the idea of decision-making and the process in which people interact with things around them.  One of the many processes discussed was how Kathryn uses decision-making contemplation to advance her paintings along;  She paints a line or an area, pauses, waits for her gut reaction on what to do next, and then instead of acting on that reaction she debates it.  She fights her instinct to “make it pretty” and instead observes the space around the mark she has made and looks for how the next piece may interact with it.  Her early work was based on systems, sometimes quite literally when she would paint on top of antique atlases, and now she has evolved to create systems of her own.  Where lines intersect or collide from this new decision-making process creates opportunities to build new exciting things that would not have been seen before had she acted on her gut reaction.  She thinks of her pieces as slightly awkward things in the world…something that the viewer simply has to experience and try to figure out.  What is this thing?  Do I like it?  She went on to say that, “often the reaction of not liking something is stronger than liking something.”  This idea of experiencing her works is what is most exciting to her as an artist and intriguing as a viewer.  I know from experience with her work, they are odd little creatures that grow on you.

Kathryn's work from "Immaculate Canvas" featured in NakedCity Magazine

For me, the first time I saw one of the more sculptural pieces in this show I was turned off by it.  What is this thing?  Why is it so awkward?  Why is it not stretched or framed?  I moved on to pieces in the show I was more comfortable with.  Then I returned to it and started finding things I liked about it…a lot of things…more than my initial dislike.  Now?  It is my favorite piece.  I feel like I developed a relationship with it and I’ve come to understand it better.  As Kathryn said last night, “It’s like you are popping into a conversation I am having with the painting.”  I caught a snipit of her conversation with his piece and it was awkwardly gorgeous.

The overlying thing I took from the talk last night was that I should never try to “read” a painting.  With Kathryn’s work, I find it is best to analyze yourself as you look at her work.  What does this make me think of?  How does this make me feel?  What is this thing?  Eventually I come to the same conclusion; I am a being in the world and so are these works of art…like them or love them, we are both here and we are interacting with each other.  As an interactive new media dork…that idea makes me feel good down to the core.  Kate’s work is gorgeous, sensual, awkward, inviting, and contemplative.  They are simply amazing to look at because you are looking at yourself…and you are always changing as a person so these works are never done evolving.

-Ryan W. Gates

Immaculate Canvas will be on display at the NakedCity Gallery in Wichita through May 25, 2012.  The show opens…

Friday, April 6th

8 PM

NakedCity Gallery  -  121 North Mead St.  -  Wichita, KS 67211  -  (316) 992-4545

Please join Kathryn at NakedCity for this opening as well as the debut performance of the visiting artist series *asterICT which will feature performances by acclaimed mezzo-soprano Jennifer Beattie and pianist, Adam Marks.

Interactive new media company CreativeRHINO is excited to announce a new series of visiting artists entitled *asterICT

This series seeks to break down barriers between contemporary artists and their audience by inviting emerging artists from a broad range of disciplines to Wichita for performances, exhibitions, workshops, and casual conversation.  *asterICT brings contemporary arts to the community on an intimate level so that artists and audiences can engage with each other and thus mutually benefit from a shared artistic dialog.

CreativeRHINO is pleased to debut *asterICT with the first group of visiting artists: vocalist Jennifer Beattie and pianist Adam Marks.  Their performance will be April 6th in conjunction with a new exhibition by artist Kate Van Steenhuyse at the NakedCity Gallery.  More details to come.

Ms. Beattie is hailed by Opera News for her “exuberant voice and personality.” She is a versatile mezzo-soprano and dynamic performer in styles ranging from opera to chamber music and musical theater to cabaret. This season she joins the Opera Company of Philadelphia as well as being a soloist in the Mozart Requiem with the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia.

Mr. Marks is praised by The New York Times as an “excellent pianist” with “titanic force.” In 2008, he made history as the first American laureate of the French Concours International de Piano d’Orleans for music composed since 1900. He currently serves as the Director of Artistic Programming for Fifth House Ensemble and actively pursues collaborative endeavors as an essential part of his career.

To support these visitors and encourage community engagement in contemporary art, CreativeRHINO is hosting a flash sale of drawings by Van Steenhuyse.  The drawings will be available  till Sunday, March 11th.  CreativeRHINO has agreed to absord 75% of the costs of these drawings and thus offer them to the public for the exclusive price of $75 per drawing.  In addition to the artwork, patrons of this sale will receive an invitation to the private preview party and performance.

Please click HERE to view the drawings for sale.

This year, Kate and I attended the Tallgrass Film Festival in Wichita, KS.  It was great to spend a weekend wrapped up in the film world and discussing the craft, story line, production, subject matter, etc.  While there were too many films for me to see in one weekend (especially with an 8 month old running around at home) I saw a plethora that I knew I could not miss.  There are 2 I would like to highlight and encourage you to seek out as they travel around to other festivals and get distributed:

The Selling

| 2011 | USA | 92 mins. | Domestic | Narrative

Languages: English | Genre: Comedy

| 2011 | Canada, USA | 67 mins. | Foreign | Documentary

In Competition, Greengrass

Director: Grant Baldwin

Languages: English | Genre: Documentary

Summary

The Clean Bin Project is about a regular couple and their quest to answer the question ‘is it possible to live completely waste free?’ Partners Jen and Grant go head to head in a comedic battle to see who can swear off consumerism and produce the least amount of garbage in an entire year.

Official Site: http://www.cleanbinmovie.com/