"I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic
than to love people."
~ Vincent Van Gogh
Kate Vikstrom: Member artist at Collective Visions Gallery
331 Pacific Ave., Bremerton Washington, 98337 • 360.377.8327
“What I want and aim at is confoundedly difficult,
and yet I do not think that I aim too high.
I want to do drawings that touch some people.”
~ Vincent Van Gogh
Watercolor
Apparently my art career began at age two when I drew all over my mom’s room with her red lipstick. Very quickly, they bought me my first set of Playtime Watercolors.
I continue to choose watercolor because of the element of surprise. The artist must be willing to let go of control, taking a back seat to the movement and caprice of paint in water. The painting reveals itself!
Rather than show you an exact depiction of something, every leaf on every tree, I hope to evoke a feeling, or a recognition of that thing from your own life’s experience. I love to depict the place where water and sky seem to have no hard edges; where earth, water and air intermingle. The mists that move within that space allow the painting to touch upon the mystical. This is a metaphor for all of life, in which there are no clear boundaries between friend and stranger, heaven and earth, love and poetry.
Watercolor Collage
Like most watercolor artists, I have many unsuccessful paintings languishing in a drawer, longing for a second chance, saying “choose me!” Within these “failures” there are gem-like areas which I rescue and recombine into new work: playful mosaics, whimsical house portraits, dream scenes.
Graphic Design
Rich in heart and whimsy
I am a graphic designer adept with Adobe software.
I studied design using a drafting table, T-square, and actual pens. This means I am uniquely able to help your agency understand the needs and perceptions of the Baby Boomer client. However, I have embraced electronic tools--specifically Adobe products--for decades. Currently in my home studio I use Adobe Creative Suite 5.5. And I know where to place the apostrophe.
Loving life, embracing mystery, with artistic energy and a strong work ethic, I want to share my creativity locally and globally. I will be an asset to your team due to my skill, imagination, humor, kindness, and emotional intelligence. Contact me for my current resume at [email protected].
Music
Grown-up Lullabies is the premier CD release of Kate Vikstrom, a Bremerton, Washington vocalist. At the time of the CD release, Vikstrom lived in Olympia, Washington. She has chosen songs that convey the feel of a 1940s era nightclub — mostly soft jazz standards, with a few of the gentler favorites of Broadway, Latin, and cinema. The title of the collection is derived from this gentleness, and from the many lyrics which describe the moon, night, and dreams.
Perhaps an unlikely candidate for a debut CD, Vikstrom grew up a quiet Minnesota preacher’s daughter whose early musical influences were her father’s jazz-era vinyl collection and the Lutheran hymnal. She spent 24 years raising three children, mostly on an Alaskan island where she worked as a graphic designer and watercolor artist (one of her collages appears on the album cover). There she was part of a lively arts scene including musical theater, vocal solos and ensembles. She studied jazz cabaret in Alaska and Italy. In a fun twist of fate, one of her teachers later became her son-in-law.
In 2007 she moved from Alaska to Olympia, where she teamed up with pianist David Rhys-Johnson to perform in local venues.
Please visit the album website www.katevikstrom.com/music.html
for samples, information, reviews, and links to purchase.
YouTube
Kate has created several YouTube videos ... some for family and friends ... some to highlight issues important to her. In addition to her vocals, many of her paintings and photos are incorporated.