Kat Corrigan

 

Mentor Philosophy

I believe we all seek mentors when we need them most, and some of us are lucky enough to find one or two who help us to listen to our deeper selves and figure out what only we can do with our art in the world.  My experience in the Mentor Program as a protégée was exactly what I needed–I needed a kick in the pants to get me going and Tina Nemetz badgered, pushed, teased, poked, and kicked me into gear.  I would not be where I am now without her.

In my life I have had two other long-time friends/mentors who have taught me by modeling how to be a good teacher, a great listener, and an able and positive leader.  I have become a better person, teacher, and artist because of them.

As a mentor, I intend to do my best to listen to my protégée and to help her listen to herself, to help her figure out where she needs to go next and what she’s already done to get there.  I hope to be a guide and a kick-in-the-pants if needed.  I have found myself in an incredibly great place in my life and am happy to help others find their great place.

Artist Statement 2014

As a human being we sometimes have more difficulty communicating with others of our own species than we do with other beings. Having relationships with animals in a non-verbal way allows the communication to be more basic, more clear. Words can make communicating a complicated effort because of the complexity of meaning they infer, as well as the personal weight some words carry. Asked to describe a simple word like “bathtub,” no two people will see the same image in their mind. More abstract concepts such as “love” and “righteousness” are more easily defined in reference to a solid object than a personal relationship, as here lie many complications and possible interpretations.

I have found that the form of an animal allows me to play widely with the deeper color problems I love to explore. I can use the shape of the dog’s hindquarters as a basis for experimenting with orange and blue tones and the manners in which certain combinations carry more power than others. Knowing that the image is of a dog doesn’t lessen the artistic impact of my work. I am playing with form and dimension, attempting to push areas of the picture plane forward towards the viewer while making other areas lay far back in the distance. I am moving to the edges of the colors and studying their effects and emphasis.

I have been delighted to be accepting commissions, which obviously compel me to continue to work, but which also allow me to continue to experiment. I very much appreciate the ability to work with color in a conceptual way that is widely accepted by the greater population. The surprise to me is how much I enjoy the collaborative effort involved in a commission. I hadn’t realized the spiritual and psychological connections that would result in the relationship formed by accepting such a project. I have, as a result, been completely awed and honored by the effect my paintings have on the owners of the subjects depicted.