Senior Artist Spotlight: Kaytee Marsh

Who is Kaytee?

I am 18 and currently a senior.

What does Kaytee like?

My favorite food is any type of Mexican food, but if I had to choose one it would be enchiladas. My favorite dessert would be cheesecake.

How did you become an artist? How long have you been practicing?

When I was a toddler, my mom was in art school, so I was always surrounded by art growing up, whether it was drawing next to her while she painted or going with her to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for the day. Because of this, I have always had an interest in art, but I never took that interest seriously until I took the art classes at OA.

What inspires your work and creative philosophy? Is there anyone or anything in your life that has influenced your art or creative vision?

I think that my work is mostly a reflection of experiences I have gone through in life, more specifically enduring change through high school- both positive and negative. I do not think that there is anything very specific that has influenced me, but something that has gotten me out of my comfort zone in art is gaining an understanding of the fact that everyone's art is different. Going into my first year of art classes, I always compared my work to everyone else's. Over the past four years, I have learned that I like my work better because of how it is different from everyone else. No one's art is going to be the same and that is something that makes art special.

What is your favorite medium? Why?

My favorite medium is definitely charcoal. The pieces that I have done in charcoal have always been my favorite. I definitely enjoy the process of charcoal more because of how you can use it to capture small details, but it also can easily cover a large space. It is also really good for creating depth and capturing shadows which I like.

What do you like most about being an artist?

Being an artist creates a creative outlet for me that both challenges me and relaxes me. When working on my art, my entire mindset can be focused when it can normally feel hectic and overwhelmed. It is almost therapeutic for me. I can also challenge myself by using new materials or pushing myself to capture stronger details in my pictures.

Where do you see art in your future?

I am planning on going into college minoring in some type of art. It is something important to me and therefore I would like to stay involved in it throughout my life.

What does your art mean to you?

My art is very important to me, and I believe that it is almost like a personal insight to myself as you can see it changing as I get older. I believe that my pieces reflect my growth through high school as I have challenged myself as the pieces go on.

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on my senior self portrait which is an intense black and white portrait taken of the artist that is then completed in charcoal.

Is there a certain theme you tend to portray in your artwork?

For this year, the concentration that I am following is on growth and transformation through change. I am specifically connecting this to the transformation of butterflies and how they undergo the process of metamorphosis, yet come out even more beautiful on the other side.

What's your favorite piece you've ever created?

My favorite piece so far is either a still life done in red, white, and black charcoal of ice cream and milkshakes or another charcoal still life of a poker scene done in green, white, red, and black.

Where do you get your ideas?

Getting an idea for a piece takes several days for me. I normally look through pictures on my phone for inspiration and end up considering things that are important to me that I would like to include. From there, I like to try and think of an interesting perspective of the concept that then will be photographed for my piece.