Kathryn M. Niles
Kathryn M. Niles
location Southern Tier of New York State
Profession Artist Educator
Private and University Instructor--Drawing, Printmaking, and Painting
Artist Educator
“As an artist whose images begin with drawing and who loves fabric and related sewing materials, these mixed media soft sculptures are a satisfying combination. They represent ‘the three drawing basics: point, line, plane, and were borne from figure drawings. Their parts relate to the human form, i.e., clavicle, scapula, spinal column, rib cage. The main torso is structured from fabric that is filed with bits of ... cloth which ... suggest blood vessels and internal organs seen beneath the skin’.”
Artist’s Statement
Landscape, figure, and still life are timeless, universal, venerable motifs that compel regular and continued examination. I approach each subject with a history of memories, an awareness of my surroundings, and my psychological state at the moment.
Drawing is my first love and developing that skill forces me to explore a variety of relative techniques--painting, collage, printmaking, along with mixed media and a kind of soft sculpture. The soft sculpture represents the three drawing basics: point, line, plane, and were borne from figure drawings. Their parts relate to the human form and the idea that we are all the same under our outer coverings, i.e., clavicle, scapula, spinal column, rib cage. The main torso is structured from fabric that is filled with bits of colored cloth. The colored cloth filling suggests blood vessels and internal organs seen beneath the skin.
My compositional structures repeat themselves, and I am seduced by the movement of form, the drama of unusual illumination, as well as the indifference of empty space. I covet line sensitivity and interesting textures. All my subjects are varied, yet all are related, as they represent the natural environment of our world and our existence. As I struggle to create appropriate visual responses, I turn to artists such as Rembrandt, J. M. W. Turner, Hieronymus Bosch, Kathe Kollwitz, Edward Hopper, Rico Lebrun, Richard Diebenkorn, Nancy Dine, and Jim Dine for assistance, inspiration, and encouragement.
A published collection of my work is available now in all major bookstores. Click cover image to visit Amazon sales site.