Squid

Dedicated to Picasso

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 34" x 36"

When I studied the masters, such as Braque & Picasso...I came up with this rendition. I always tried to learn from different periods of art as well as artists'. Picasso is one of my favorites from when I started my studies. I've been to many of his installations at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Including his pottery exhibits. He influenced me due to his intense work ethic, he was an amazing workaholic.

White Turquoise

Medium: Acrylic

Dimensions: 24" x 36"

2009

I created this contemporary piece last summer. I love the vibrance of the turquoise as well as how the simplicity of the white makes it pop. I am going to have the frames fabricated in clear acrylic. This will also be available in a brushed aluminum frame for the giclees. It's a fun energetic piece that gives life to any space. Color affects your mood more than you can even imagine. The colors in this piece are fresh and inviting. I think I may continue this style in another range of colors. It's hard for me to be content with simple pieces, I tend to over work paintings often. I have to always remind myself to walk away and let them dry.

Infiltrate

Medium: acrylic & oil

Size: 20"x24"

This painting one of a series of three. Last summer I started to do a different style of the layering. Simplicity sometimes is more effective for me. I created about twenty paintings that are similar to this style. I've been enjoying working with metallics. When I use metallics on flat surfaces it gives it a nice finish.

China Doll Hands

Medium: oil on canvas

Size: 24"x36"

I created this painting when I was in Art Students League in Manhattan. It was a small art school located on 57th Street & 7th Avenue. I was in between schools and loved this quaint art school. Although I remember this being an odd piece at the time during one of my critiques (only because the rest of my class mostly did landscapes). I bought these doll hands some where in China town. I'll always remember when my little sister went up to the attic and saw this piece sticking out of a box of work that I asked my parents to hold onto... and she came into the house crying. Mind you she never went into that attic again to play with her friends.

Arid Land

Medium: Oil & Acrylic

Size: 4' x 6'

2003

I created this painting after I graduated from School of Visual Arts, N.Y.C. It reminds me of a landscape in the desert somewhere. I painted this style of work for two years, there are about eight of them. I was living in Brooklyn & had a great studio. I was told after school to find something marketable to make money, and start fresh with your work. This was one of my first large paintings.

Feel Free to Comment

I just wanted to let viewers to know that they can post comments about any piece they see. I want this to be an interactive blog between me and my followers. To keep it interesting I've been trying to post different paintings throughout my art career. Some of my paintings that I have shared are recent and others are from when I lived in New York. It seems that my art has gone through a transformation over the years and I have enjoyed the process. So don"t be shy, I would love to hear from you!!

Lola

Mediums: acrylic, gesso & marker

This was one of my earlier paintings, The build up on the eyebrow, nose & lips were built up through gesso paint. The bright colors always put me in a good mood.

Figurative Sketch

I have always enjoyed depicting the human body. Although most of my paintings are of the abstract nature, it is important to me to be versatile in other mediums.

MGMT

Mediums: Acrylic

Dimension: 20"x 24"

2009

This painting has one more sister painting. The black background contributes greatly to the vivid aqua and pink colors used. There's a playful tension that contributes to the essence of the eighties throwback style.

Le Fleur

Mediums: oil and acrylic.
2009

The golden and coral abstract flowers in this piece represent the beautiful hillsides I've experienced in California. The flowers that I painted remind me of the California poppy. This is the first painting of a series of four.

Art Studio

Here is a picture of me in my art studio on 1.16.2010. Most of my work is done with out paint brushes. I use a layering technique to paint each piece.

Stained Glass I

Medium: acrylic, polyurethane and oil.
20"x 24"
2009

This is one of a triptych painting series. I will be posting two more in the near future. If you click on this painting you can see the reaction that the polyurethane had on the oil in the drying process. The orange makes the piece pop.

My Biography

I would like to welcome you to my new blog. On this page I will post a different painting every day and give you an artist statement for each piece. This will give you an inside look at my work and who I am. My first post is a biography me and my art. Thanks for visiting!

Kate Barkauskas was born in Long Island New York. Her art career began when she moved to Manhattan to study fine art's at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After a year she transferred over to The Art Students League where she could study painting as well as sculpture. Kate’s passion for sculpture and painting lead her to complete her bachelors degree in Fine Arts at The School of Visual Arts in N.Y.C. in 2003. Her art can be classified as abstract and expressionism. Her philosophy is “As long as I have the tools to create, the art will create itself.” Over the past couple of years her art has changed and grown as she has. Different phases of her life are reflected in her work, keeping things fresh while modifing her style. Kate’s paintings are created by a process of layering different mediums. Her paints of choice are typically acrylics, oils, polyurethanes, shellacs and glazes. Kate resides in San Diego, where she continues to paint.