Project Statement:
This ongoing series explores metaphors of connection and transformation with the environment in my own backyard as I attempt to transform the space into something more sustainable. It is a diary of my thoughts about issues facing the environment on a larger scale, but from a more tangible and intimate perspective of that microcosm. Ideas of manipulation and chance, beauty and ugliness, and desire and destruction come into play, all while being very much aware of the connection between my impact on this space and its impact on me.
My garden is a place where altered landscape creates a longing for the sublime space. Yet a sense of wonder remains. It is a process dependent on light, water and alchemy — as is the process to create the initial images. As I work with the earth and the images, it reminds me of the power of being present in the moment and the ephemerality of these instances. The process I am using provides a participatory immediacy that echoes the work in the garden, and has a certain sensuality that captures the memories of the fragility and strength of the land.
Artist Bio:
Katie Kalkstein received her degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She explores the relationship between people, landscapes, and their changing environment, with its inherent mysteries and dualities. Her work has been in shows nationwide and internationally, and is in many private collections. She has also been published several times in Diffusion magazine and was a Critical Mass Top 200 Artist in 2014. She teaches at Art Students League in Denver, Colorado and is represented by Anzenberger Gallery, Vienna, Austria.
