When art and science intersect
One of the best things about being an artist mentor is that I get to help some superstar artists blossom in very concrete and powerful ways. I love celebrating their journeys and am thrilled to share some very good news about two superstars, Kathy Stewart and Tara Kate. Both Kathy and Tara are now artists, but have backgrounds in science professions. Both of them had features in Issue 50 of UPPERCASE magazine an issue that highlighted the intersections between science and art! How cool is that?
I really want you to meet these artists so please scroll and keep reading all the way to the end!
MEET KATHY STEWART
This past winter Kathy Stewart wrote an article for UPPERCASE magazine based on her post retirement experience transitioning from being a physician to becoming an artist. Kathy was an obstetrician-gynecologist and for 31 years, and practiced mostly in the Portland, Oregon, area. She describes the experience of having her story published as a dream come true as well as both thrilling and terrifying. I offered to help Kathy prepare for the article and visited her studio one day with my camera to do an in-person interview. Click below to hear the conversation that eventually became her article, and now is a video featured on her website!
Of the connections between being a doctor and a painter Kathy writes:
"Providing medical care is not only about prescribing this medicine or recommending that surgery; it’s about establishing a human connection. Those connections create vulnerability. Being an artist means that you accept vulnerability, too. When I create a work and release it into the world, I feel as though my soul is on display. I think that establishing deep emotional connections with my patients has made me a better artist than I would have been otherwise. That said, when I retired, I felt joy in letting go of the emotional stress and worry."
Click the image below to read the full article printed in UPPERCASE and follow her on Instagram!
MEET TARA KATE
Tara Kate is an amazing bird artist and illustrator and did you know she has a background as a professional scientist too? Tara has a PhD in Biology! She has spent a ton of time out in the field studying birds and developing a deep, intimate knowledge of and reverence for the birds that she draws and paints. Her work also appears in Issue 50 of UPPERCASE magazine and she recorded a really fun unboxing video, click below to watch!
About her recent experience, Tara writes:
"Annamieka saw the call for submissions and mentioned it to me. If she hadn’t, I probably never would have known about it! Because of the course and her mentorship, I was completely prepared for this opportunity. I immediately gathered my images and revised my artist’s statement. I had created my statement earlier using the prompts that Annamieka included in her mentoring program and she had worked with me to make it as strong as possible. A few weeks after I submitted my application, I got the delightful news that my work had been accepted! This year was particularly good for me in that respect—I was featured in two joint shows as well as UPPERCASE magazine. My body of work, this series of birds in graphite, was created while I was in the mentoring program and there’s no doubt in my mind that the course and Annamieka’s mentoring was what helped me to develop as an artist and hone my skills to create art of this caliber."
I highly recommend subscribing to her AMAZING studio vlog The Bird Artist’s Cottage, trust me you will not regret watching and learning from her! You can also follow her on Instagram and visit her website for even more inspiration!
It's such an honor to get to work with Tara Kate and Kathy. I get to witness and advocate for them as they release their powerful works into the world.