By Jenn Curran
Meet Katherine “Kat” McClelland, mixed media artist from
Western Massachusetts. Paradise City Arts in Northampton is featuring
McClelland’s work this October for the first time. The artist works with
acrylics, sculpture and fiber. Her focus recently has been on her work in fiber
arts. Her incredibly detailed portraits, needle felted on wet felted
backgrounds, deliver imagery rich with texture and depth adding to the overall
impact of the individual piece.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in Maine and grew up in a small town in
Pennsylvania. I attended Maryland Institute College of Art where I met my
husband, Ryan. I am a mom to two lovely girls. I spent 14 years teaching
Special Education and Literacy. I earned my Masters of Education at UMASS, and
presently I teach art for the Department of Youth Services (DYS).
Why do you do what you do?
I can’t imagine not creating. Even when I had small kids,
worked a full-time job, and was earning my master’s degree, I was creating art.
The simplest answer is because I have to.
How do you work?
My work often begins with a visual that catches my eye. One
piece will lead to another. I’ll wonder what if I changed or added this or
that. Recently all my focus has been on felting. I work from photographs. For
my more complicated pieces, I’ll do sketches and paintings before beginning the
felt piece.
What’s integral to the work of an artist?
Inspiration, support, and time. I am in short supply of the
latter! My husband is my support; I respect his honest feedback and opinion. My
daughters are my inspiration. My older daughter often helps photograph my
subjects; her images inspire my work, and my younger is often the subject of my
pieces.
If you could snap
your fingers and make any piece of art legally and freely appear inside your
house, what piece would it be?
That’s a tough one. If I had to choose it would probably be
Klimt, maybe “The Kiss.” Perhaps a John Singer Sargent or Frida Kahlo piece.
Can I have a whole gallery? It would be eclectic but awesome with some art
quilts, ceramic pieces, and paintings!
