Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Gagnon
Hi Katherine, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am an artist, educator and founder of Zinnia Wellness Painting LLC. I live in downtown Charleston, SC with my husband.
I always knew I wanted to be an artist from a young age. Majoring in Art and Art History at Colby College in Waterville, ME, I went on to earn my MFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art’s LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting, which was founded by Grace Hartigan. There I studied under Joan Waltemath. Over the last ten years, I’ve been an adjunct professor, worked at an international auction house, managed a commercial art gallery in New York, NY and found my way back to teaching art via the non profit sector during the pandemic. I recently have founded Zinnia Wellness Painting LLC, which is launching this fall in Charleston. It’s a hands on wellness painting workshop, designed to promote self care as a corporate retreat or onsite for executive leaders and healthcare providers. Emphasizing process over product, this workshop promotes mindfulness, sense of calm and a way to unwind from stress. IG: @zinniawellnesspainting
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Many obstacles.
I landed my first solo show 8 years after earning my MFA. It happened from a cold phone call. “Land & Sea” (2022) at the Lambert’s Cove Inn on Martha’s Vineyard, this is now where I show my work.
Life is random. Use any life challenge as a way to prove yourself how capable and strong you are.
Nothing in life is a given. My go to phrase is “learning by doing.” Instead of viewing an opportunity that either doesn’t work out or comes to a close as “the end,” see it as another step on the career path forward.
Stay the course!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My landscape based paintings capture a specific light condition. Light is temporal and so are the hues I paint with that connote time of day and season. Time and place such as sunrise, sunset or change of season are returning themes in my work. I layer watercolor and oil pastels on Arches paper to capture these moments in time. Focusing on the beauty of the present moment, my paintings are a meditation on the “here & now.” I am after a “snapshot” or the felt experience of being somewhere rather than photorealism.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. This book inspired me to create Zinnia Wellness Painting, LLC.
A Room with a View by E.M. Forrester, my favorite book I read in high school. I think this book introduced me to my love of aesthetics, and it was a turning point in my education where I started to understand the use of sign, symbol and motif in literature and apply it to art (and ultimately life). I had excellent English teaches at Kent Place School in Summit, NJ thanks to Ms. Gordon, Ms. Senke and Ms. Carroll.
As a millennial and also someone who struggled to learn how to read as a kid, I have to say the Harry Potter series impacted me falling in love with reading. I usually reread the entire series anytime I move, as a way to hold onto a sense of “home.”
Apps? Love the Calm app.
Pricing:
- $2500.00
- $2500
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- $3000
- $2500
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.katherinegagnon.com
- Instagram: @katherinegagnonstudio
- Other: @zinniawellnesspainting
