I Got To See My Favorite Artist Today-- Kathryn DeMarco

You probably haven't heard of her, because she hasn't gotten the fame and recognition that she will someday have (I hope, because she sure deserves it). I first saw her work at an ice cream store called Francesca's in Durham, NC, where she lives and works. I was so enthralled with her collages that I bought one that summer, and then another the following summer.

She does color and black and white collages of cats, dogs and sometimes people. I love her work because there are so many hidden images within the larger image that you can look at a piece for a long time and continue to discover new things in it. But I like her work for more than that, it speaks to me in a way that I am not sure I can even articulate well. There is the obvious respect for pets, and the person-pet bond. There is to me at times also a kind of pride or defiance in the rendition of the people in it. You can check out some of her work at her website www.kathryndemarco.com, or if you find yourself in the Durham area you can stop by Francesca's or Craven Gallery.

When I met Kathryn, both she and I were doing a lot of rescue work and fostering (her more than me actually), so I think we had very similar ethics and a particular brand of activism. Now she is doing more trap and neuter work, but is still committed to improving the lives of animals in her community. I've always been very impressed with her work with stray animals because as an artist who still works another job on top of creating her own pieces, it is quite a testament to her passion for animals that she finds time and energy to do volunteer work too. I know from doing that kind of work myself that it is largely thankless and always every bit as exhausting as it is rewarding, so I am really awed by people like Kathryn who are unwavering in their efforts to chip away at the problem of stray animals bit by bit.

The collage at the top (The Heads) is a piece I fell in love with last summer and would have bought on the spot if I was still working as a chemist and not a veterinary nurse. I honestly can't believe that no one has bought it in the year since then, and that it is still on display at Francesca's in the same spot I saw it last summer. What are people thinking? How can they not realize the beauty and pleasing symmetry of this piece? If it's still there in a few more years when I am more stable, I am going to snap it up like I have wanted to for so long.

Today, looking at Kathryn's work on display at Craven Gallery, I was struck by a nude that looks something like the image below (168 Days) but is smaller and in a rounded frame. It's dangerous stopping by to visit Kathryn because I am always very tempted to buy another piece from her. Who knows, I might yet on this visit, it's hard to resist.