Art I Heart: Kate Endle

Image by Sam Simon, via The Bellini Buzz

Today’s interview features Seattle artist, author, and album cover designer Kate Endle. I’ve admired her work for a few years now, and I was happy to see that Nathaniel enjoys it as well. Who Hoo Are You? is one of his favorite books.

Kate grew up in Ohio, and she received a BFA from Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio.

Now for the questions!

I first saw your work in a Seattle cafe or coffee shop in 2006 or 2008. Note: I’ve lived in Seattle four different times. Sometimes I lose track of dates and exact places. :) The venue had some of your business cards and I carried one around in my wallet for a long time as a reminder of how much I loved your collages. Will you tell us a little bit about how you developed your style?

I’ve been a painter most of my life so my collage style is relatively new for me. I started to cut very simple shapes out of hand painted paper around 2001; similar to what Rex Ray was doing early in his collage career.

I quickly became addicted. I was gluing my tissues onto 300lb watercolor paper and I amassed quite a pile of finished art very quickly. I wasn’t really sure what to do with them. I thought they might be fun to sell, but I’d have to frame them and framing is a costly and cumbersome chore for me.

Then 9/11 happened. All my freelance work dried up as the country entered into an economic recession. With a lot of time on my hands, I decided I needed to reinvent myself.

I was working at Seattle Art Supply at the time and I was unloading a box of canvases. They had a thick edge to them, about an inch and a half, and they felt really good in my hands. Bing! An idea went off in my head and I had solved my framing issue. I’d collage onto the canvas and decorate the deep edge to eliminate the need for moulding. I have been collaging like a mad gal ever since.

I love doing the Caspar Babypants album covers because the finished project is so satisfying. I’m married to Caspar (aka Chris Ballew) and the album covers have been a really fun collaborative effort. Plus, by the time it’s time to create a cover means that the album is done and that’s a super duper feeling. 

Illustrating for books is always daunting to me because it’s a huge endeavor and it takes a lot of time. I’m impatient and always want to be trying something new, and when I’m working on a book I like to focus solely on that project. However, the finished product is very gratifying. I tend to somewhat forget about the pain and frustration by the time the book has been published.

Being a commercial artist is unbelievably gratifying to me. Supporting myself and thriving from my creativity is absolutely thrilling! Every sale I make and every freelance job I’m offered feels like it’s the very first one. Every time I get paid is incredibly exciting. I’m grateful for every kind word and support that is offered my way. It feels like I’m playing a video game and I’m scooping up all the rewards.

Like video games, this has become addictive. So when it comes time to make art for the sake of only making art, and not money, it’s hard to just relax and just be creative. “How can I turn this into product?” feels like a mantra sometimes and I feel conflicted there. However, I love stationery and stickers and home decor and all of the fabulous design applied to these objects, so that mantra quickly turns into motivation. I try not to beat myself up too much over the conflict.

Who are some of your favorite artists and what draws you to their work?

I love Jonathan Adler. I love his clean classic lines and timeless vintage aesthetic. Note to Kate: Did you ever see his Barbie Malibu Dream House? Fantastic. 

Same thing with Orla Kiely – her palette is sumptuous. Note to Kate: When I found the Orla Kiely link I had to linger on the site. :)

I love Inuit art. Native Northern Americans have a way of interpreting the natural world with a sense of whimsy that I find magical; I love their loose interpretations of animal anatomy. 

I love Paul Klee so much it hurts! I can barely look at this guy’s art without feeling a massive ache in my heart.

You attended art school and have always been doing creative work, but some of us didn’t have the foresight to know that what we really wanted to be when we “grew up” were artists, writers, photographers, and/or designers. What’s the best advice you have for those of us who didn’t start out in a creative field, but want to eventually break free from their unrelated “day jobs” and make a living doing something that we love?

We are very fortunate to be living in the age of the internet where promoting one’s self is free via blogs, Facebook, Twitter and the like. Online shops like Etsy are great alternatives to opening up your own gallery or brick and mortar store. So while you’re working your full or part-time job you can bite off small creative moment chunks here and there.

Kate’s Studio

Try and be grateful for where you are right now. That has been the hardest lesson for me to learn over the years. Early on I was very resentful of having to work part-time jobs in order to support myself. However, I’ve learned so much from those jobs that I’ve been able to apply to my current work. If it weren’t for my ten year job at Seattle Art Supply I would not have discovered my love of decorative paper and I might not have had my “ah ha moment” as I unpacked those canvases way back when.

Don’t forget our Grandma Moses, either. She found success in her eighties!

Note: Read Kate’s inspirational blog post about success on your timeline on the School House Craft blog.

What are you working on now? 

I have two shows in September- one at Cafe Flora in Madison Park and the other at the downtown Anthropologie so I’m working like a crazy person to get work that is ready to hang next month. 

I’ve also started work for my December show at Velocity Art and Design. I have a cabin at this year’s Arts in Nature Festival that’s happening at Camp Long in West Seattle, so I have to finalize my display ideas for that event.

Final art for my next picture book, Augie to Zebra, has begun so I’m trying hard to focus on that, but I’m also working on some gift items for the new Chihuly museum that’s opening up next spring.

I’m also working on image selection for my 2013 calendar with Amber Lotus Publishing (the 2012 calendar just became available this week!). I’m alway working on filling my Etsy and wholesale orders. My studio is a complete disaster, I see a physical therapist regularly for my aching neck and hands but I’m ALWAYS happy to be busy!

Note to Kate: Just reading this makes me tired. :)