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Katlyn Powell
Katlyn Powell was born in San Antonio, TX in 2001. After graduating from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a BFA, she currently works at the Contemporary, a non-profit contemporary art institution, and as a studio assistant for the artist, Rubio.
Her work is directly inspired by Buddhist teachings of loving-kindness, mythology & folklore, as well as psycho-spiritual understanding of the human mind.
An exploration of many mediums, Powell’s works in both painting and sculpture. Her sculptures are soft and introspective, narrowing in on themes of exposure of self and anonymity. While her paintings are more expansive, navigating relationships and culture.
MORE ABOUT THIS ARTIST
Artist Type: Visual Arts: Painter, Sculptor
Artist Style: Visual Art: Conceptual, Contemporary, Figurative, Photo-Based Painting, Portraiture, Representational
Artist Medium: Acrylic; Clay; Colored Pencil; Drawing Media; Fiber/Fabric; Oil
Artist Statement of Work
Tell us about your work (style, approach, philosophy, subject and/or theme):
When the literature professor Joseph Campbell defined the monomyth, The Hero’s Journey, he claimed the true goal of the journey to be sacrifice, and “from sacrifice, bliss.”
Magic is deeply ingrained in the human mind. Despite it being disproven and replaced by science as rational thinking for centuries, down to the way we speak and act, magic is alive and well. Where science makes things easier, stories tell us magic is all about struggle and sacrifice. This is what my work focuses on.
An exploration of the ancient belief in magic, the gap between thoughts, and the existence of unconditional love within all people, my portraits focus on a sense of self.
My work is a reflection of my own experiences and rituals as I strive to understand myself. All my life I have looked at everything with a sense of distance, especially my own feelings. With my art it’s like I can look at it all a little more. My grief, my shame, my love. An act of self-compassion, my work is like a hand outstretched.
