Bio

Kate McConnell is a visual artist who lives and works in Washington, D.C., and Provincetown, MA.

Growing up in rural New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, gave Kate enduring respect for nature, landscape, and being outdoors. Adding to her influences are the incomparable vistas of Cape Cod, MA, where Kate returns annually to study and paint.

Kate works in oils and gouache, exploring sensations of the natural elements in the landscape with spirited freshness and honesty. She enjoys the immediacy of Plein air painting, as well as reinterpreting those outdoor experiences in the studio.

Before painting full-time, Kate had a career as a noted book designer and graphic artist, and for over a decade she was an instructor in book arts and typography design at the Corcoran College of Art & Design in Washington, D.C.

Statement

I have a steadfast connection to the outdoors.

Much of my work is landscape-inspired, reflecting the sensations I perceive in trees, dunes, and other natural forms.

I am particularly fascinated by the structure of trees, which to me are evocative of human gesture and spirit, and remind me that we and the natural world share similar vulnerabilities to the passing of time, environmental degradation, and a changing climate.

My goal is to capture nature’s vitality with paint.

ALMANAC

These studies of sea + tide observations are painted in oil on paper, sitting from the same place whenever
I am in Provincetown, MA., no matter the season.

I intend to spontaneously capture the shifting energy of the sea and sky, low tide or high tide
creating a visual moment in time, marked by color shifts and patterns.

I have noticed an increase in winds over the years, days of more heat, and water impacted by climate change,
similar to what I see when I am out painting in the dunes with the impact of erosions and shifting sands starkly noticeable.

I began MY ALMANAC series in 2017 and plan to complete it this year 2022, now with approximately 290 studies.
Each 5” x 7” piece, has a ledger or field note of the weather, temperature, and other conditions of the instant,
compiled to create an almanac of the sea and me.

A sampling of “My Almanac”

There’s much more on Kate’s website

web: kate-mcconnell.com
Insta: @katemcconnellart
[email protected]

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