Carmine Magazine: What drives you to create? Also, what inspires you and your work?
Katelan Foisy: I’m driven to create by how short life is. We have one lifetime to create as much as we can, love as much as we can, learn as much as we can and be what we want. I don’t want to waste that time. I’m inspired by city streets and country roads. I love street art, urban culture, museums, and the energy that exists there but I am also very inspired by nature and small towns. My latest project explores small towns in Edward Gorey type ways.

CM: Were you formally trained in art or self taught? Do you think it has helped you or hindered you?
KF: I went to Pratt institute in Brooklyn and graduated with a degree in Illustration. My education at Pratt really helped me form who I was stylistically. The emphasis there was trying numerous styles and finding your fit. I’m lucky I found mine early. I am also grateful for teachers who taught me how to market myself and gave me a realistic view of the art world.

CM: What mediums do you work in the most? Do you have a particular brand that you love working with? Why do you use them?
KF: I use many mediums from cut paper, to computer collage to acrylic paint. I enjoy using golden acrylics as they layer easily and you can create excellent textures with them but I use many kinds of paints, from super cheap, to very expensive. I’m also a big fan of glazes but I mix and match these. I enjoy mixing mediums for the pure organic-ness of it. There’s nothing like putting your hands and brushes into gobs of color and thick gel mediums.

CM: At what point did you realize that creating was going to be a large part of your life?
KF: I’ve always created but I really fought it as a career for a long time. A few of my family members had made a career out of making art and for many years I really wanted to separate myself from them, not because I didn’t want to be an artist but because it had been pre-determined that I was going to be one. I took some time to play around with different art forms before deciding I wanted to be an illustrator.

CM: If there was one style of art that you could take up, what would it be?
KF: I have a fascination with pen and ink and graffiti writing.

CM: How do you deal with creator’s (or writer’s) block?
KF: I take a walk to the sculpture park and then hit the Noguchi museum. I also take breaks to read and search through other peoples art. I find that street art inspires me to create quite a bit.

CM: How do you prepare for art shows where your work will be shown?
KF: I work like crazy preparing for them, making sure everything is prepared and together. I also get extremely productive with new work. Constantly having shows is a great way to keep the energy up. I’m the type of person that constantly has something to do.

CM: How do you define you style? Does it represent an inner you or something completely different?
KF: Seattle Weekly once called my work “ruminative”. I believe this is the best way to describe it. I think all work represents a part of you. I like to think of myself as a girl with many layers and this becomes apparent in my work.

CM: What kind of environment do you need to create in?
KF: I need light, candles, good herbal tea or coffee, and mood music.

CM: What does your workspace look like? (Pictures or a description work for this one)
KF: I’ve always worked from the floor. I find tables too restrictive.

CM: What was your worst experience with art? And the best?
KF: I take each experience as what it is, an experience. Art as a career can be extremely frustrating but at the same time I love my job.

CM: What movies, books, music, etc get your creative juices flowing the most?
KF: I’m extremely inspired by Frida Kahlo and my friend Swoon. When were in art school together we had similar aesthetics. We ended up doing two very separate things but I always find my time with her to be incredibly inspiring. As for music, the soundtrack to my latest project was NY based O’death. I worked with them and then used their music to help me create a project that was in the works for a year. I’m also a big fan of Mojo Juju and the snake oil merchants. They bring out the gypsy in me.

CM: Do you think the internet, technology, media, etcetera are helping or destroying the art world?
KF: The internet got my career started. When I graduated, people told me not to email potential clients. Being a recent graduate with no money I couldn’t afford to do postcard mailings. The internet was all I had and it worked for me. I will be forever grateful for that. I do believe social networking sites and blogs have made it easier for people to get their work out there. I do have mixed feelings about the way the media is going. It saddens me that magazines and newspapers are struggling to stay afloat among the tech world. It saddens me even more to see stock image companies using and abusing artists work while companies use those stock images instead of hiring the actual artists.

CM: Aside from art what do you do with your time? Is there anything else that drives you or that you’re passionate about?
KF: I’m a bit of a loner but I do enjoy going out for coffee with friends, having drinks in my back garden (yes I have a garden in NY), reading tarot, and practicing reiki. I’m also an internet junky.

CM: Do you have any upcoming shows, events, releases, etc. you would like our readers to know about?
KF: I will be showing at the Femina Potens gallery December 6th for the “Oh, Oh, Oh, Christ! Religious Iconography” Visual Art Exhibition, representing pornsaints.org. Also the magazine I work for, Constellation will be going to print in January. And well, there’s a few secret projects that are in the works. I’ll keep you posted. I will be in the next “Age of Feminine Drawing” coming out in 2009.

For more information on Katelan Foisy and her work, check out these links:
Katelan Foisy.com
Katelan V on Myspace
Katelan Foisy on Flickr
Bloodandpudding on Livejournal
Katelan Foisy on Facebook