“Lucidity is an open-source transformational arts and music festival. We call it open-source because we will be co-creating this festival experience with YOU! We invite you to come play with us, get involved with one of our six themed villages, bring art, lead a workshop, spark a spontaneous flash mob, embody a character from your dreams, be silly and wild and free! We are bringing together a world class lineup of musical talent and weaving them together with the sounds and vibrations of our beloved local stars. Our galleries will showcase the sickest fine art our region has to offer, promising to enrich the festival as a visual voyage. Art installations will pleasure participants with multi-sensory stimulation while themed environments will create intimate settings for personal connections. Lucidity’s environmental commitment is to leave Live Oak better than before.”

Along with three of my paintings from Organic Chemistry (above “Double Rainbow”) and four of my original skate decks from Devil Street Decks, I am currently in the process in my studio of making all new work just for Lucidity! Including a brand new skate deck just for Lucidity Fest 2012, and a new series of dream-like paintings. You can check out some progress shots of the paintings below!

Above is a progress shot of three mixed media paintings on paper – and below are the mixed media paintings I have cooking on birch wood panels. I’m super excited to be part of something so beautiful as Lucidity Fest and I hope to see you there! Check out all their featured (visual) artists here!

This body of work reflects the idea of the micro and macro, and are inspired by infinite patterns in nature/fractals and all that they posses. The first three paintings below (Midnight Hike, In Between Dreams, Menagerie) were all recently licensed by Wheatpaste.com (like five of my earlier paintings are) and will soon be available on their website as sticky posters and canvas wall art. You can see my other work available as sticky posters and wall art at WheatPaste here . I have lots of exciting things happening here in San Fran (although I do miss Maine with all my heart), and will be making more posts about them soon! Love to you all.

"Midnight Hike" 4'x4'

"In Between Dreams" 4'x4'

"Menagerie" 4'x4'

This painting was an interactive project. I put out an open invitation on facebook for people to name an animal they would like to see in this painting. Can you see yours? : )

"2012"

"Elephants in Amsterdam" 3 panels all 30"x80"

My new decks just launched through Devil Street Decks – check ‘em out along with some other very cool artists and their decks too!

This summer while I was working on these decks, the cat that I had since I was four-years-old passed away. The deck “Jungle Cat” is my immortalization and homage to him.

"The Space Between the Air and Sea"

Organic Chemistry: Artist Statement

“I am constantly amazed by this world that we are all a part of – and I draw inspiration everywhere from the vast depths of space to the tiniest molecules on earth.

There is an infinite source of beauty and perfection all around us when we take the time to stop and look – children seem to naturally recognize this euphoric beauty of the world around them as everything is fresh and new, and their brains haven’t yet started to get cluttered with everyday worries and mundane rituals. In a world that is dominated by the human mind, it seems we are often too busy – moving to quickly, to care about the fact that we are burning up resources faster than they can replenish. Being aware of our consciousness is an amazing gift – but it is how we use it that will decide the state of the world we live in.

I believe there is a lot to learn on how to live more sustainably and in sync with our surroundings by observing the ebb and flow of the living, natural world. Every plant, animal, cloud, and organism lives in a kind of harmony, and is part of deeper consciousness that is radiantly seamless. This kind of balance and synthesis plays a key role within the inspiration of my work.

Organic Chemistry echos a more universal synthesis between Science and Philosophy/Spirituality – I believe we need a balance between these things to better understand the world. The idea of chaos and order is also present while I am painting, and that underneath what often seems to be this complex jumble of everything, there is in fact a grand design – like an eternal rhythm, or dance.

I am often inspired by fractal patterns in nature, or the nautilus shell which I use as a metaphor to depict this absolute (and scientific) beauty. My favorite image to illustrate this comes from the idea of the big bang theory – I think it is amazing to think about how at one time, everything that makes up the billions of life forms on this planet was all part of this one tiny seed of exploding cosmic energy, and that the only real separation we experience is due to the distance between our ever expanding energy in time and space. To me, this seems equally spiritual or magical as it does scientific. It is this kind of “magic” and scientific beauty, that I wish to portray through the body of work in Organic Chemistry – simultaneously hoping to create visual spaces that allow the viewer to return to that place of childhood euphoria.”

"Lucid Dreamer"

"In the Center"

"Nectar"

"Jungle Moon"

Double Rainbow"

"Waking Dream"

"Pro-Creation"

"Tree of Life"

]]> http://www.katecleaves.com/wordpress/?feed=rss2&p=424 0 http://www.katecleaves.com/wordpress/?p=388 http://www.katecleaves.com/wordpress/?p=388#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:50:03 +0000 Kate Cleaves http://www.katecleaves.com/wordpress/?p=388 Just for fun… : )

Here is an interview from a little while back that I never did get around to posting on my blog – so what the heck – better late than never! This was an Interview for Plateau Magazine – and was part of an online article that features different underground/up-and-coming artists periodically. Unfortunately I have not been able to access their site recently, and am afraid (although not 100% sure) that perhaps they are no longer around – another reason I felt the urge to post this interview. Hope you enjoy!

Organic Chemistry: Artist Statement

“I am constantly amazed by this world that we are all a part of – and I draw inspiration everywhere from the vast depths of space to the tiniest molecules on earth.

There is an infinite source of beauty and perfection all around us when we take the time to stop and look – children seem to naturally recognize this euphoric beauty of the world around them as everything is fresh and new, and their brains haven’t yet started to get cluttered with everyday worries and mundane rituals. In a world that is dominated by the human mind, it seems we are often too busy – moving to quickly, to care about the fact that we are burning up resources faster than they can replenish. Being aware of our consciousness is an amazing gift – but it is how we use it that will decide the state of the world we live in.

I believe there is a lot to learn on how to live more sustainably and in sync with our surroundings by observing the ebb and flow of the living, natural world. Every plant, animal, cloud, and organism lives in a kind of harmony, and is part of deeper consciousness that is radiantly seamless. This kind of balance and synthesis plays a key role within the inspiration of my work.

Organic Chemistry echos a more universal synthesis between Science and Philosophy/Spirituality – I believe we need a balance between these things to better understand the world. The idea of chaos and order is also present while I am painting, and that underneath what often seems to be this complex jumble of everything, there is in fact a grand design – like an eternal rhythm, or dance.

I am often inspired by fractal patterns in nature, or the nautilus shell which I use as a metaphor to depict this absolute (and scientific) beauty. My favorite image to illustrate this comes from the idea of the big bang theory – I think it is amazing to think about how at one time, everything that makes up the billions of life forms on this planet was all part of this one tiny seed of exploding cosmic energy, and that the only real separation we experience is due to the distance between our ever expanding energy in time and space. To me, this seems equally spiritual or magical as it does scientific. It is this kind of “magic” and scientific beauty, that I wish to portray through the body of work in Organic Chemistry – simultaneously hoping to create visual spaces that allow the viewer to return to that place of childhood euphoria.”