How did you get into working with paper as a medium?
I did a drawing degree at Camberwell and they were very keen for us to explore what drawing could be, so there was a lot of exciting stuff going on. My paper cutting developed from experiments drawing onto layers of acetate and assembling the layers together to form one coherent image. I began cutting the layers out of paper instead and over the years my work has continued to progress from there.
Have you always been a full-time professional artist, or did you have another career prior to that?
I started out teaching art in secondary schools before getting into gallery management when I relocated back to Oxford. I ran my own craft and fine art gallery in Woodstock for five years before focussing on being an artist full time.
What does an average day look like if you’re spending it making?
I rarely get to spend a whole day making, although that would be my ideal! I get on with emails and admin first thing, although I'll often come back to these throughout the day as I'm terrible for getting distracted while I'm working. I feel like I flit around all day, making cups of tea and talking to the cat but, having said that, I am good at getting on and focussing for long periods of time as well.
How do you choose a subject/new piece to work on? Do you have a bank of ideas/sketches/reference material?
I try to take photographs of views that catch my eye when I'm away or spending time in Oxford city centre, so I always have pieces I want to make and sometimes people mention particular buildings or views they think would work well with my technique. Some collections, like the Moons and the Miniscapes, are open editions so if one of those sells then I'll want to make another at some point to replace it.
What other things take up your working hours? E.g. admin, marketing, etc. Do you enjoy any of the more mundane aspects of art life?
I think the percentage of time artists actually get to make work is relatively low; there are so many things that take time away from making, but that's just how it is and they all need to be done. Communicating with galleries, getting work framed, applying for open exhibitions, photographing work and editing photos, keeping artist statements and CVs up to date, editing the website and posting on social media for example. I enjoy most of it but on the whole I'd prefer to be making new work!
Do you do any teaching?
I don't teach at the moment. When I stopped teaching in schools I decided not to teach at all but I did really enjoy aspects of it and people do sometimes ask so I wonder if I should put together a papercutting workshop one day.
What sort of art, and which artists, inspire or influence you?
I'm inspired by other paper artists all the time. There are so many people working with paper in different ways, from huge installations to tiny delicate work and even animation that there's always something new to find and get inspired by.
What other things inspire your work, or just make you happy?
I go for a walk every day as I find getting out into the fresh air and near to trees or open spaces really clears my head and lifts my mood. I love listening to music and podcasts while I'm working and when I'm not working I love to spend time cooking, knitting and tending to my allotment.
How has your style developed over the years, and why?
I feel like my work is constantly evolving and over the years I've become more practised at what I do and able to make more complex work. I'm coming towards the end of a part-time PhD by Practice, which has allowed me to develop a completely separate strand of work. It's working with paper but in a very different way and I enjoy having these two strands to split my time between as they require very different ways of thinking and working.
· Check out our selection of Kate's work here