ARTIST STATEMENT
Sometimes my work shouts and sometimes it whispers. It is a reflection of my search for visibility as a human being, an expression of subconscious intent and a search for a balance between precision and spontaneity. Always pursuing genuine self-expression and that balance between order and chaos, I combine repurposed objects to create new meaning and an unexpected dialogue between them that otherwise would not exist in the everyday world. This process allows me to "talk about" my conflicts, confusions, and insights; Giving me the opportunity to "re-construct" and redeem my personal narrative.
BIOGRAPHY
Kate Carvellas was born in Baton Rouge, LA. She grew up on the East Coast spending her childhood New Jersey and her teenage and young adulthood in Northern Virginia. While visual art was a passion her entire life (she was creating art consistently from her early teens to her early 20’s), she attended George Mason University, where she received a BFA in Theater. She moved to Los Angeles in 1992 to work in the entertainment industry. It was not until 2004 that she allowed herself to return her focus toward the visual arts after an 18 year break. At first, she focused on collage, creating thematic compositions from mass media imagery. By 2007, she had transformed her practice to focus on three-dimensional artworks using objects she has collected from thrift stores, yard sales, and flea markets. Wood, plaster gauze, cardboard and/or repurposed styrofoam also often make their way into her sculptures.
Carvellas began exhibiting in 2008 at a local coffee shop and has expanded her practice since, with numerous solo exhibitions, even more group shows and a major installation in 2018. That same year, she won first place and the purchase prize at the Museum of Art and History, Lancaster. Her paintings and sculptures are in private collections throughout the US, from Florida and Virginia to California. Her work has been reviewed in the Pasadena Star News, Art and Cake and Diversion LA.
Awards/Honors
2018 - "My Soul is Not for Sale" - Accessioned into the Lancaster Museum of Art and History's permanent collection.
2018 - "My Soul is Not for Sale" received Best of Exhibition 1st Place in the 33rd Annual Juried Art Exhibition at MOAH: Cedar (Lancaster Museum of Art and History)