graduated from the University of Kentucky in the fall of 2003 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and an emphasis in studio art. My time at the University of Kentucky served as an invaluable period of growth and self-discovery, which I hope is reflected by my photography. These photographs are from my senior thesis exhibition entitled Mirrored Imbalance. Most of the photographs included in this exhibition are self-portraits intended to reflect my inner being. But, in reflecting the self, these portraits must also show my limitations.My greatest hope in creating art is that I might be able to take the weakness that exists within myself and capture its innate, natural beauty. In my life, I have struggled with the body that I was born into and the person that I have become. I have learned that an aesthetic and conceptual beauty exists in the natural “wrongs” and in the personal correction of inadequacies.
My self-portraits are taken alone, using a timer on my camera. Through this process, an intimate bond is created between me and the machine through which I create. The camera has become a source to which I tell my deepest secrets, and to which I show myself completely, with no inhibitions.
Jackson Pollock believed that art should serve as a mirror from the artist through the art to the audience, and back. When viewing my photography, my hope is that my audience will be able to see into the person that I am, and the feelings that are not always on the surface. Pollock also once said: “Put up and shut up”
It is always a joy when you are graced with a student who is artistically selfmotivated. Kate is one of those students. She has been photographing herself, exploring difficult issues, for the last several years, always finding new ways to express herself through her art. The work created for her Bachelor of Fine Arts show, Mirrored Imbalance, stems from very personal issues and ones that many artists have addressed in the past. Kate has tackled the topics of women’s body image and the contradictions we feel between our outward appearance and inward challenges without being didactic or obvious, and addressed them using metaphor and grace in many different photographic media. Mirrored Imbalance is superficially a beautiful group of images of women, which alone might be enough to hold our interest; but, conceptually, Kate has made us take that extra time to explore the images to find their inner meaning. All in all, what every artist wants.
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