ARTIST ILLUMINATION: KATHERINE CLAYTON

Feelings are the essence of Katherine Clayton’s artwork. She follows the creative trail where her emotions lead her. “An artist must be tolerant of chaos,” stated Ms. Clayton. Artists start with disorder and distill it into creativity. They can’t be on autopilot and make predictable or meticulously boring pieces. It is imperative to be open and be surprised by the result of the effort.

Katherine is a multifaceted artist who takes full advantage of pandemonium. She utilizes her University of Minnesota’s Applied Design degree in myriad facets. Her background includes working with a letterpress, crafting hand-painted wallpaper, hand-painting fabrics and pillows for interior design studios, and assisting at a garden center. She works in two-dimensional paintings, ink, floor clothes (designs and paintings on durable floor mats), collage, and sculpture (water basins and found objects meshed together). Her Kelpie horses look like they are rising out of the mist. Golden Paints is her favorite brand. www.goldenpaints.com

Not far from the rush of Minnehaha Falls cascade, Ms. Clayton is strongly inspired by nature and animals. She has a desire to share beauty with others and seeks to make life happier via art. She is also stimulated by emotions, other people’s art, and thoughts of people that she has loved and lost. As she walks her dog by the Mississippi River, she finds items that provide inspiration or for incorporation into sculpture.

Her artwork will be featured as the cover for the new novel “Someotherville” by Sheila McMahon to be published in fall 2012. She designs gardens and sells plants. She markets vintage art, restored sweaters, and clothing on E-bay. Katherine is a honey, actually, a beekeeper that harvests honey. She was born and raised in the Twin Cities area.

Ms. Clayton can be contacted at www.etsy.com/shop/GriffinDesign ; www.mnartists.org/Katherine_Clayton ; or, www.mnartists.org/Griffin_Design_Katherine_Clayton Her studio is open during the LOLA Art Crawl and by appointment. She won an “Ima Best In Show” award for 2011 Art Crawls. Read the review posted on September 21st, 2011 and summary on January 23rd, 2012. Included in this article are photos of her work, sorry for the grey area in the second image.

Nurture your nature.
© 2012 Ima B. Musing