Anahata Katkin

Cloth Paper Scissors

Hey, hey, hey. Lookie who is on the cover of Cloth Paper Scissors! Cool huh! This is my first article in a national magazine. So I feel like a big proud dork right now. The inside article is really nice and clean looking and I love that they just made it fresh and light looking. No matching backgrounds. I am totally flattered and thrilled. I haven't gotten my copy yet but I can't wait! Now I can send one to my Gramms and say, "See Grandma! There are other artists like me out there and it does make some sense to them." She never quite gets all the extra paper bits floating around in my artwork. So...this will be fun to pass along to her. She'll be a big proud dork too!

CW Slade

I saw CW Slade's paintings in Malibu three years ago and instantly fell in love. No I mean really in love. Imagine Rothko paintings with a feminine heart. These paintings sing with color like you rarely see. You know how most of us try to paint colors? Somehow she is able to toally embody color as if it is alive. The colors feel like living gems that work on your entire body. Each painting is quite large and has tiny collage scenes hidden between the paint layers. You have to see them in person to see what I mean. It's wonderful. My family always teases me because when I flip through magazines I drool over modern simple spaces with organic clean lines and a minimalist feel. Some of the artist I adore are similar in that they are more expressive and not so figurative. I think the reason I adore them so much is because it is really something I aspire to. In otherwords I haven't a clue how to be minimalist or zen or purist in most things. I have a hard time putting away laundry and I have six Mexican paper banners hanging over my desk where I am typing. If there is a space on a wall - I fill it. I love that feeling when I first move into a place when there is just a bed and a simple dresser and a lovely little bottle with a lilac in it. And then I have to get creative with it and vooooomp. My house is in a constant state of chatter. Creative chatter. A zen bathroom sounds great. White walls sound great. A huge original from CW slade with no other bulletin boards competing with it sounds great. But I know myself and it very well may be impossible. But alas I adore you A type people with folded drawers and white linens. So enough of that. If you are in the area please go and see CW's paintings (and go to the beach and take snap shots of courtney love on steroids in wierd Gucci bikini or something- what? It is Malibu). And if you feel so inspired pick a painting up for me! (Ha!)

Howdy-y'all. I haven't gone blogging for a while. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have all been up to lately. In the updates world the envelopes arrived today! I am soooo excited. It's been a long time coming and now they are snuggled into their place over at the warehouse. WooHoo! Also the card up there is going to be new soon as well but not just yet. I have been working away in between sneak peeks at Costa Rica real estate and websites. Ahhhhhh...doesn't that sound nice. See this?How can I stay focused when there are homes like this singing my name from afar? Sheesh. That's what I thought. I just imagine working away in my studio and then jumping in the pool when I need a fresh pair of eyes. (I just recently admitted to myself that I do in fact want a pool) But in the meantime I am enjoying the perfect spring of Ashland right now. It's gorgeous here and tonight I get to keep the windows open while we sleep for the first time.

Temporary Insanity

Thank you all for your votes below. That's always so much fun when I get into a pickle with an image. You guys rock! It really makes a difference. So thank you!!!! In other news...I'm having a bit of a time of it. Feeling that strange rush of emotion without need or cause. Life is good...and then the wierdest things just come rising up from seemingly nowhere. I have some good hunches about myself right now. I have made some new commitments and some changes. Now comes the fun part. My family is putting up with me nicely but all I can say is that it's time I do some cleaning therapy and a little painting. The pages above are from my trip to Puerto Rico. Some more pics coming soon fromt hat adventure. Still making room for my time there and all that has come from it. I think I'm getting swept up in wanted change and now I have to clear the way so everything can happen. If you thought it was just you then I'm here to tell you ....You aren't alone. I'll be up painting tonight if you'd like to join me from afar.

This or That?

Hey gang. Working up some new designs for PaPaYa! and I can't decide between the two of these images. Neither are really finalized- they are just drafts at this point. But I am obsessed with the graphic rays so I can no longer tell when they add or not since i Loooove them on everything I can't be non-objective. Take your pick. Top Right/ or left or purple or green? Oh you see what sillyness can get me all distracted?

She's Ready!

I'm not sure what it is about me but I am attached to my originals and have a really hard time selling original artwork. In fact I have yet to sell an original. Not because there aren't buyers but because I have yet to concede to the purchase. It's also the reason I never have gallery showings. It seems so odd to me to sell them. Like they are little people or something. And I don't feel like they are so great that I can't sell them. It certainly isn't that.
If anything I think my artwork is shall we say...Unfussy. So to satisfy some of the requests I am again returning to the world of fine Giclee's as a solution. So there are a couple of works that are in and ready to go. We've been glazing them, gold leafing them and doing some hand touches to get them ready. There may be many more int he future and some of the PaPaYa! images too. But for now here's a link to the canvases available.

The Faux Sepia Movement

I've been thinking a lot lately about those of us who seem to be drawn over and over to old things and putting them to use in our artwork. I can hardly look at a sepia toned image these days without being distracted by the fact that I am quite simply on sepia overload. With the weaving together of our mixed media community a dillution has occured. Or perhaps it's more of a homogonization. Like any true movement inspiration comes in themes and we are not exempt. The impressionists come to mind. The surrealists. The Egon Schiele's & Klimts. Will we then be called the faux sepias? I often wonder what a funny thing art historians will say in 75 years. "And then when the sepia movement began at the end of the 20th century people at the beginning of the Energy Age felt a deep fascination with family images, and antiques from the 19th century. What we have then is a strange hybrid of antique concepts spanning across nearly 3 milleniums. This phase in the resurgence of the alternative arts & crafts movement can be identified by faux sepia techniques, painted cupcakes and photographs not from the era... And here we have another example we aren't sure the artist though as this piece is typical of the era." This art historians voice seems to be getting louder and louder in my ears and I have to chuckle at myself. Do you know what I mean? Maybe next year at Artfest I will name our arts movement and offer buttons for the campaign. Some days I just have to look at myself and add a dash of humor. Any other names come to mind?

Can I just say?

It's freakin SNOWING!!!! It's April 17th and it's SNOWING! A month ago I started buying sandals and shorts for my son and now this! I swear the climate here in Southern Oregon is wacko. Tomorrow it will be 70 degrees. And Thursday is soccer practice! (I don't think that officially makes me a soccer mom unless I actually start showing up at school on time! So there.) Ah well. I am cloistered away in my nunnery..er...um I mean my studio plugging away at my overdue newbies for PaPaYa! See them up there? I need to make only 7 more lickedy split. But I did finish my Holiday cards for 2007. It went surprisingly well and now I don't feel like such a grinch. I think the Holiday offerings from PaPaYa! will be superior to last years. Since I was dragged into Holiday kicking and screaming. (Note to all Stationers- they will force you into the Holiday-ness of it all!!) So I am off for some serious movie time before returning for more computer obsessions. Hope your bulbs don't freeze folks!

This lil' lady was the wallpaper panel I used to demo each step as the class moved along. It was really fun for me to only work in five minute blocks. It showed me that at home I can move a little quicker than usual as well. See them Joss papers? Oh yeah! This is just under four feet tall. I love these panels too because you can just fold them up and iron them out when you need to.
I have some other stuff still packaed up that I am hoping to share soon as well. More over the weekend. Happy Friday!

Artfest Recap:

Quite simply Artfest blew my mind this year. I was thrilled with the entire experience and I enjoyed all the people and the spirit the entire time. It was wonderful. Artest seems to bring together such a focused group ready to just dive in and roll up their sleeves. It's heaven for us alternative arts wierdos!
The first workshop I gave on day one was Funky Wallpaper People. 32 brave ladies cut between four and six feet of wallpaper panels and got to work. In one day everyone surpassed my expectations. It was a stunning display to see all the panels hanging at the same time. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of great pictiures but you can see some above and a few of the ladies on the floor. It was a wild mess in the room. At the end of the day the walls were lined with dozens of these gorgeous pieces. Seeing everything finished I was moved to tears. It was so touching for me to see so much outpuring of creativity and willingness in one single day. They rocked it! They really, really did.
Day two was a workshop called Creative Instincts. This day began with a trip to the beach to assemble Nature Altars for the morning. Above is just a few examples of some of the things people played with. This workshop is more of a you-have-to-be-there kind of experience. Stories emerge, people get playful- it's a wonderful time. Then we took pictures of each persons altar and headed back inside to make some artwork based on the Nature Altars.
Each person tried to capture the mood or altar itself using very limited art materials. These are just a few of the amazing 31 total projects made that day.

The last day was the SYmbolic Icons workshop. I think that because it was the third day people where all warmed up and they made some incredible atwork. There was 33 people on this day and nearly 65 finished projects. It was again just an overwhelming thrill to be a part of this experience and I am so grateful for the artists and their willingness to dive right in.

now I cannot wait to go to Artfest again next year and dream up some new workshops. This was a memorable year and I will never forget the process and the thrill of it all. thank you to everyone who signed up for Workshops with me and who gave me such a wonderful memory. There are more pictures of the artwork in the classes and the workshops themselves on my flickr account if you want to see more.
And thank you to Pam and Amy for being our ultra entertaining housemates again this year. Poor Pam's back was out and it was all we could do not to burst into constant laughter about her guerilla walk. (that seems so un-Pam) Thanks for the laughing fits into town and the constant stream of chatter we managed. Amy gave us a jewelry pre-show and we scored some great necklaces.
Vendor night was a trip too. See all the people trying to get first pick lined up waiting to get in. Everyone was still setting up when this picture was taken. These are just the ones who managed to make it into the building before the others waiting outside. Totally silly and fun. I had to take a picture.

But the other pics above are from our table of insanity. You only get a couple of hours to load everything into the building and then set up so it was just a free for all. Good times...