Katya Newman

My artwork has always been a reflection of my love of nature. As a child, I spent most of my free time outside exploring the woods and streams, or caring for my many pets. I started taking my artwork seriously as a child, recording the world around me by creating art and crafts, and have stayed dedicated to fine tuning this process ever since. I find working with my hands relaxing, and I like improving and learning new skills..

I began drawing and painting early on, sometimes making pigments out of ground up rocks or leaves and flowers for colors. I found some clay in the bank of a stream in Germany and my father helped me fire it in a bonfire on his parent’s farm after forming it into pots. I like the idea of making all of the things myself that I could ever need to be self sustaining.

When I was a teenager I saw someone making wire wrapped crystals at the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk. This impressed me because someone could take something that was inexpensive by itself, and create a product that was valuable, so of course I wanted to try it also. I bought some sterling silver wire and some crystals and taught myself how to wire wrap that summer, finding a way to incorporate the rocks that I had collected to make jewelry.

About 10 years later, I met my husband, who was also a painter and wire artist. He made sculptures out of recycled wire coat hangers as a street artist in San Francisco. He taught me how to make the wire sculptures, and I embellished them with stones and beads with thinner wire to make them even more detailed and life like. I have been making the wire sculptures ever since in his honor, since his passing several years ago.

Sewing and crocheting are skills that I learned from watching my mother, and those projects bring warm childhood memories. I favor using vintage or upcycled ingredients in my artwork whenever possible because of the history they contain, and conservation of resources. Even more exciting than recycling fabric and yarn made by someone else would be the eventuality of harvesting and spinning my own thread to weave or crochet the fabric myself. Some of the parts that I use come directly from nature, such as rocks and shells from the beach. I also often favor reflecting natural themes in my drawings and paintings.

I would like to promote the idea of sustainability with my artwork, and have it’s impact to be positive and cheerful. While giving people a sense of hope, I am also reminding them to step out into nature to enjoy life more fully. I want to share the joy that I feel about the natural world and its many wonders. 

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