Meet the artist: Kathy Vannatta

Current Hometown: Minot
Where can we see your work?
Current artwork is at my home. However, I do have a portfolio of pictures with a larger and wider variety of artwork done for prior clients.
Do you have work for sale?
Most of my work is for sale. However, I find most people usually prefer to commission specific pieces; either based on an existing piece that is customized to their wants, or pieces that are portraits of family members or pets.

In what media do you work?
Most of my science fiction/fantasy art is done in watercolor, while most of the wildlife and portraits are in oil paints. Smaller wildlife and/or portrait pictures are often done in mixed media, such as a combination of pen and ink with watercolor.
How would you describe your style?
My style is very illustrative and linear; i.e., more graphic than abstract or “painterly.”
Who would you say have been influences on your work?

Influences are everywhere; but I’d have to say early influences were Frank Frazetta and the pages of Heavy Metal Magazine.
Are there particular themes you like to explore in your work?
I like to explore post-apocalyptic themes – a future where technology exists or is in ruins, but culture has reverted to a pre-industrial state. I also enjoy spacefaring themes, such as aliens, locations on space stations or spacecraft, or on other worlds.
What do you most enjoy about the creative process?
The whole process gives me a good feeling; not just satisfaction, but a feeling of rightness that isn’t rivaled by anything else. I keep a file cabinet of reference ideas, including sketches and detailed notes of items that aren’t enough for a finished piece, but can lead to new pieces when I get the inspiration for the rest of the piece.

Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in North Dakota, and raised in the Burlington/Des Lacs area. I’ve been drawing since I was four years old, and pursued an art scholarship to Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago Illinois. Although my work career was not art related, I continued to do freelance work side by side with it over the years. I spent 13 years in Chicago, and my husband and I lived in the Phoenix area for just under three years. North Dakota kept calling me back. Now retired, I live with my husband and two cats here in Minot.

