My Blog, "Portrait of an Artist as the Daughter of an Artist"

I was born in Cleveland, Ohio and moved to New Orleans as a teenager. I immediately fell in love with New Orleans and found I felt more at home here than I ever had in Cleveland. My mother is an artist, so I grew up surrounded by art. In New Orleans I attended New Orleans Center for Creative Arts for Visual Art during high school.

Soon I decided to go to art school. I attended School of the Art institute of Chicago where I got a BFA in Sculpture. I became interested in decorative cast iron work. I started to create a body of work inspired by the decorative iron work in New Orleans. I received my BFA and was awarded an internship in the Kohler Arts Industry Program, where I spent seven months in the iron foundry. Kohler is a factory that makes sinks and toilets. The Kohler Arts Industry Program offers artists’ studios along with access to all the facilities in the factory.

When I finished in the Kohler Arts Industry Program, I moved to San Francisco. To this day I have an interest in the Natural Sciences and they inform much of my work. While living in San Francisco I worked at the Exploratorium, the first hands on museum of science, art, and human perception, as the Manager of the Tactile Dome. I became interested in issues like cloning and genetic engineering and found a like-minded community of artists who I exhibited with. I also attended California College of Arts where I received my MFA.

After five years living in San Francisco, I missed New Orleans, the place that felt more like home than anywhere. Here I have continued to create a range of works including sculpture and watercolor. I spend most of the year in New Orleans, but in the summers, I teach study abroad classes through the LSU Art in Ireland Summer Program.

Describe your art in three words.

Fantastical, feminist, botanical

Describe yourself in one word.

Inquisitive

What do you love the most about creating art in your community? What particular part of your immediate environment, in your neighborhood specifically influences your work?

New Orleans is a magical city and my cast metal works are inspired by its decorative iron work. I live in the Bywater and I often find that just walking around my neighborhood inspires me. 

Describe your creative process. Are there any rituals or rites of passage you exercise before you begin a new piece?

I have a bell outside my studio I ring before I begin working. If I am not in a rush, I usually meditate before I start.

Where do you draw inspiration?

I draw inspiration from a range of sources, the decorative wood and metal work in New Orleans, botanical and scientific illustration, as well as contemporary art.

Who are your artistic influences or gurus?

My mother Pat Kaschalk, Louise Bourgeois, Dorothy Cross, and Rona Pondick

In New Orleans, art and music go hand in hand. What type of music, band or song lyric best describes your work?

I like a range of music, so Helen Gillet, Little Freddie King and Bjork.

Where can we find you when you are not creating art?

Teaching or spending time with my family.

What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year?

I like to work in the studio in the morning.

What is something people don’t know about you? A fun fact.

I play Irish fiddle.

Works listed online may be available to be viewed at Where y’Art Works Gallery by appointment.

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