Florida Artists Group

Artists Bio:

COMMUNICATING THE FEMALE HUMAN SPIRIT
 
When Katty Smith grew up in the small rural southern town of Halifax, Virginia, art was not a topic of discussion among the less than one thousand residents.  The opportunities to express any artistic ability were somewhat limited to coloring books and drawing scenes on the chalkboard in elementary school, paint by number trays to hang on the walls, and dance lessons, all of which Katty loved doing.  High school did offer an art class, but for the college bound too many other classes were deemed more important. None the less,  having a very large closely knit extended family, highlighted by frequent memorable gatherings, and knowing most people in the town made the formative years a wonderful experience.  
A year and a half at The Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro was put on hold when Katty married her high school sweetheart.   Ten years later with two children on board, she began her journey to a B.S. degree from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and eventually earned an MBA from the University of Toledo at age fifty-six.  Anytime there was an opportunity to go to school, Katty was right there ready to enroll.
In 2008, at age sixty-five, Katty enrolled at Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, GA, in a ceramic sculpting class.  The first day of class when she received her chunk of clay, her lifetime search ended and her passionate journey began.  She could not wait to drive the twenty minutes almost every day to school to work on the assigned clay projects.  Katty always had a desire to work with her hands whether it was competitive floral arranging, basket weaving, or working as a master gardener.  She experimented with sedentary art forms such as painting and drawing, but they did not fulfill the need to work with her hands.  Never in her sixty-five years of life had Katty ever dreamed of being an artist.
After moving to Florida in 2010, Katty enrolled at Crealde School of Art in Winter Park, FL, for three years of ceramic sculpting classes.   The purchase of a house with a large garage and a new kiln allowed Katty to become a studio artist in New Smyrna Beach, FL, in 2013.  Now in her spare time, she plays tennis and volunteers locally at The Hub Gallery on Canal, at the Artists’ Workshop, Inc., and also teaches summer art camp.                                               
Katty admits, “After years of practice, the faces I sculpt are not from photos or live models, but are images in my mind. They become real people to me through the emotions they express.  When sculpting faces, the solid building technique allows me to carve out the features in contrast to building or constructing them using other techniques.  Solid sculpting requires hollowing out to about one- half to five- eighths of an inch in thickness. Often other parts of the sculpture are coiled or slab built.”  Experimentation is still a big part of Katty’s work as she is always looking to develop ways to improve the process by combining techniques.

Looking to the future, yet enjoying the moment, is the driving force in Katty’s desire to expand her exposure as an artist.  She is currently enrolled in “Art Business Academy” with Jason Horejs of Xanadu Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ.. The purpose of this instruction is to prepare an artist’s portfolio and work habits for successful gallery representation.  She is also studying with Peter Cerreta of Palm Coast, FL;  plus, she is enrolled  in a February 2016 workshop with Mitch Lyons from New London, PA.
For several summers, Katty has taught high school and middle school students for” Art is Creation” summer camp.   She has instructed a few students in her studio.  Artists’ Workshop Inc., New Smyrna Beach, has asked her to teach a class or a workshop and she plans to do so in the future.

Artist Statement:

The subject matter fueling my creative process is always constant, the female figure; however, there is never a predetermined picture in my mind of the finished product.  The realistic female face is a defining trademark of most of my works and often sets the wheels in motion.  I want the faces to exemplify the female human spirit of strength and/or compassion.   This love of the female human spirit resonates from my childhood growing up among very strong close knit women.
Placing twenty-five pounds of clay on an armature is often my starting point, as this was my first instructional method for sculpting.  Using this technique, I let the clay become the guide and I begin to see a piece evolving and I follow the lead.  This is, for me, by far the most rewarding way to create a piece of sculpture. 
 Even though the head is always built solid, other techniques such as coiling and slab building are used in my work.  This is especially true when sculpting torsos and wall pieces.  Since my work is finished with glazes, washes, and stains, most pieces can be touched except for areas of small delicate detail.
My goal in sculpting women is to convey to those who view the work, a sense of personal connection to women in their lives who have influenced them.

Education:
 
2008-2010 Studied Ceramic Sculpture, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, GA
2010 – 2013 Studied Ceramic Sculpture, Crealde School of Art, Winter Park, FL
2013 Workshop with Catherine Merrill, Ceramic Sculptor, San Francisco, CA
2015 Studying with Peter Cerreta , Palm Coast, FL

Awards and Exhibits:

2019 Daytona Art League’s “All Creatures Large &Small, BEST OF SHOW
 2019 Light Space &Time All Women’s Art Exhibition, HONORABLE MENTION
2018 Fusion Art Women’s Art Exhibition, 5TH PLACE for 3-D
2018 Best Sculptors per American Art Awards, 5TH PLACE, Representational
2018 Fusion Art’s November Artist Spotlight Solo Art Exhibit
 2018 Daytona Art League, Members’ Show, “1ST PLACE”
2018 Daytona Art League, Figuratively Speaking, “AWARD OF MERIT”
 2018 St. Augustine Art Association 2018 Honors Show, “TED KARAM, BEST SCULPTURE AWARD”
 2018 Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery, The Figure, “BEST OF SHOW”
 2018 Daytona Art League members’ show, “AWARD OF DISTINCTION”
 2018 Artists Workshop's 60th Annual Members Show, “5TH PLACE, The Phyllis Sheriff Memorial Award”
2018 Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery Solo Art Exhibition
 2018 Florida Artists Group, Margaret Cornish Debarba Memorial Award,
68th Annual Judged Show and Symposium
2017 Daytona Art League Members’ Show, BEST OF SHOW
2016 Artists’ Workshop Gallery on Canal’s annual juried, 2nd PLACE AWARD
2016 Beaux Arts of Central Florida Annual Members’ Show, 2nd PLACE AWARD
2016 Daytona Art League Members’ Show, AWARD OF MERIT
2016 Fifth Avenue Gallery, Melbourne, 100% Pure Florida Juried Show, AWARD OF MERIT
2016 Daytona Art League Figuratively Speaking, HONORABLE MENTION
2016 Artist Workshop 59th Annual Members Show, awarded "Best of Show"
2016 Beaux Arts Exhibit, Emory Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL
2016 Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando, FL," featured artist" at Annual Fundraising Gala
2015 Polasek Museum, “Sight Unseen”, Winter Park, FL
2015 ArtistRegistry.com Members’ Show
2015 Florida Sculptors Guild, La Creatura, BEST OF SHOW
2015 Daytona Art League, HONORABLE MENTION
2015 St. Augustine Art Association Honors Show
2015 Women in the Arts, Orlando, FL, NON-LOCAL WINNER
2015 St. Augustine Art Association, Spring Members’ Show, THIRD PLACE
2015 Artists Workshop, Inc., Members’ Show, PRESIDENT’S AWARD
2015 Daytona Art League Members’ Show, AWARD OF RECOGNITION
2015 “CONTEMPO 2015 Exhibition”, Lighthouse Art Center Museum & Gallery Tequesta, FL
2014 Gallery on Canal, New Smyrna Beach, SECOND PLACE
2014 Daytona Art League Members’ Showcase, AWARD OF DISTINCTION
2014 Fifth Avenue Gallery, Melbourne, FL, Ninth Annual 100% Pure Florida Exhibition
2014 FEATURED ARTIST at Daytona Art League the month of March
2014 Daytona Art league Members’ Show, AWARD OF ACHIEVEMENT
2013 Artists’ Registry.Com Juried Show, City Arts Factory, Orlando, FL
2013 Daytona Art League Members’ Show, FIRST PLACE
2013 Daytona Art League, Figuratively Speaking, AWARD OF RECOGNITION
2013 Florida Women’s Arts Association Members’ Show, BEST OF SHOW
2012 Daytona Art League Members’ Show, AWARD OF DISTINCTION
2012 Daytona Art League Show, Music that Changed the World, AWARD OF ACHIEVEMENT
2011 Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens 50th Anniversary Juried Sculpture Art Show, Winter Park, FL
2011-2012 Crealde School of Art Student Art Show, SECOND PLACE & THIRD PLACE
2008 Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, GA, FIRST PLACE AND HONORABLE MENTION

Affiliations:


The Hub on Canal Street, Resident Artist
Beaux Arts of Central Florida  
Art League of Daytona Beach
Artists Workshop, Inc., NSB, FL 
Artist Registry.Com