E27 - Kathy Cornwell - Elements of Design & Cookies Too 0325

 Kathy Cornwell

After the Rain. All images are courtesy of the artist

Kathy Cornwell is a printmaker and mixed media collage artist based in Northern Virginia.  An enthusiastic daily hiker and world traveler, Cornwell has a deep sensitivity for the beauty of nature (from the large and majestic to the small and overlooked). Her work blends tactile experience, memory, awe, and angst.

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Kathy Cornwell

Kathy - it's great to have you here. Let's jump in!

What do you love about making art?

Art is one of the most powerful ways I know to get in touch with my deepest self and to affirm myself. There are times when I make a piece of art and afterward I look at it and wonder how I made it, and marvel that I created it. It's a great feeling! Other times, I struggle mightily while making a piece of art, and it's very satisfying to solve those problems (eventually!). Art builds my self confidence. 

Which mediums do you like working with the most? What are some of the more unusual ones you've used?

I wanted to be an artist ever since I was young, but it took decades to find the right medium (and the right mindset, if I'm being totally honest). For several years in my 20s, I learned to blow glass. I dabbled in quilting, rug hooking, embroidery, sewing, painting, and many other mediums, but it was a Goldilocks-like experience: nothing was "just right."

It wasn't until I tried monotype printmaking on a gel plate when I was 50 years old that I found a medium that was "just right." This medium is a wonderful fit for my nature: it is forgiving, fun, and flexible. It's easy on the body and can be done by pretty much anyone and just about anywhere. In fact, I recently taught my 90-something-year-old parents-in-law to gel print, and they are now enthusiastic printmakers!

Gelatin printmaking allows me to use all sorts of found materials. I love printing with plants and trash, especially discarded plastic wrap. I can also create my own stencils and masks to make my prints express my artistic voice even more explicitly.

I also have fallen more and more in love with working with cutting machines over the past few years. At first, my intention was to use the cutting machine for cutting stencils and masks for printmaking—and this is still a big part of it. But machine cutting has now become a big part of my collage practice.

Hello Helicopter

What do you love about that?

The things I love most about both gel printing and machine cutting are the element of delightful surprise and the notion of redemption. When I'm gel printing, I have a general idea of how a print layer will look based on experience, but because I work fast and intuitively, I leave room for surprise. Most of the time, I'm excited or intrigued by the results. And if it turns out to be a not-so-delightful surprise? I can always print another layer on top of it later and redeem it. In fact, some of my best prints came about in this way!

Machine cutting is all about delightful surprises for me. I find that cutting a monotype into a smaller, interesting shape is transformative. Even if the monotype is what I'd consider unattractive as a whole, a tiny shape made from it can be remarkably attractive. This is another way that prints are redeemed.

I should add that collage is another redemptive process: there are scraps of printed or painted paper that may not seem attractive on their own, but they may be perfect in a collage.

No Boys Upstairs

How do you evaluate your work?

I try to keep the elements of design in mind as I create my work, as much as I can. I think that these can provide guardrails to keep me from going off the road. I also check in with myself throughout the entire creation process: am I thinking too much about how the work will be received? Am I getting overindulgent and not considering them at all? I try to strike a balance.

Where is your studio, and what is your primary work area?

My studio is in an empty bedroom in my home, and to be honest, my work activities sometimes spill out into other areas of our home. Thankfully, my husband is very supportive and patient about that! In my studio, there is a standing desk that I use for printmaking, a 6-foot folding table that I use for collage work, framing, and other hands-on art tasks, a computer desk, and a large Cricut cutting machine on a wheeled stand. I have a tall stand full of bakery trays that can be used for drying smaller prints as well as for storing flat items, and I have a drying tray for prints that are a bit larger. I have bookshelves and boxes full of supplies, as well as a closet that is full of everything from shipping materials to frames. My studio is not the most tidy and photo-worthy space, but it works for me!

What clues or questions do you use to select an idea to invest time and resources?

This can be tricky! Artists need to explore paths and then change their minds, but you don't want to feel like a squirrel darting this way and that in the road, unable to make up your mind which way to go. I get excited by an idea and then I try it by making a few pieces. Usually this is enough to show me the challenges that are involved and the level of excitement that I have. If I'm still feeling excited as hell, I'll keep going! If the excitement is waning or it isn't meeting my expectations, I may shelve that idea for later.

"The most important measure of success is creating work ...and constantly improving. I hope that I'll continue making art and growing as an artist for the rest of my life!" - Kathy

About your work: what do you hope people notice the most?

I strive to make my work have graphic impact from a distance but fascinating detail up close. I hope that people will get lost in the layers and details of my work, seeing something new each time. For my collage work, I hope they feel a sense of joy when they discover a tiny shaped collage piece, like a kid finding an Easter egg.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure? ;-)

Eating cookies and candy in the studio. Every day.  

Friday Focus

How do you define success as a creative? How do you hold yourself accountable?

The most important measure of success is creating work (not just thinking about it or planning it) and constantly improving. I hope that I'll continue making art and growing as an artist for the rest of my life!

I hold myself accountable by setting goals yearly and monthly and then reviewing them at the end of each month. This shows me where I've been avoiding "scary" tasks or slacking off. I've worked with a coach for several years and having regular check ins with her has also helped me stay accountable.

When do you discuss things with your inner critic?

I notice that my inner critic speaks up a lot when I'm looking at the work of others, such as when I'm scrolling on Instagram. Feelings of admiration and envy can turn into inner critic whisperings about my own work or career prospects. When I'm looking at my own work, I find that my own thoughts (be they positive or critical) are completely unreliable in regard to how others feel. For example, I can fall in love with an artwork and the public response is crickets, while another piece that I don't feel so strongly about will turn out to be a fan favorite. As they say, we are terrible at reading the minds of others, so if my inner critic tries to tell me how my work stacks up or how it will be received, why should I bother listening to that?

What advice do you have about throwing away work?

I rarely throw any work away. The beauty of my art practice is that just about anything can be reused! I can cut up a monotype or collage and use it in a new collage, or print over it, or run it through the cutting machine and make collage fodder out of it. A collage on panel can be collaged over, or in the worst case scenario it could be sanded down and started over from scratch. My advice about throwing away work is the same as it is about throwing away trash: reuse and recycle as much as possible!

What advice can you share for artists who want to sell their work {online}?

I don't sell my work online. I'm only interested in selling my work through galleries and exhibitions, to be honest. This is because I'd like to put most of my effort into what I enjoy most: making the art. If I also undertake selling art online, there are a host of marketing and sales tasks that I'd have to do. That's not my zone of genius, but it is for galleries. I'm grateful to be working with a terrific gallery here in the Washington, DC, area called Broadway Gallery, and soon I hope to be represented at some other quality galleries.

What would you tell other artists when they get frustrated with a project?

Take a walk, take a shower, and sleep on it! Stepping away is often exactly what the doctor ordered. You'll return to your project with fresh eyes and new ideas.

Denim Dreams

Who are your creative influences, and whose work are you admiring now?

I've learned so much from Jane Davies and Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. They've had a huge impact on my art and development as an artist. Currently I'm admiring the work of Anne Marie Fischer and fiber artist Susan Lapham.

How can people follow you and your work?

I'd love your readers to connect with me on Instagram or Facebook @kathy.cornwell.art and to follow my journey by joining my newsletter at my website www.KathyCornwell.com

Kathy - Thanks so much for joining us/me today. I'm loving your work, and signed up for your newsletter! Come back and share any announcements with the CHC gang anytime!

Wet Walk