Colorful Complexity: Art by Kayte Rose

Kayte Rose is a self-taught artist and craftsperson. Formally trained in journalism, print layout, and communications, they have expanded on their art education through workshops, classes, and independent research into the heritage crafts they get inspiration from. For close to 30 years, they have used paper as a medium to practice origami, focusing on corrugations and abstract ideas, which are then translated into paintings. Their approach involves using the flat pane of paper to create intricate three-dimensional shapes of high contrast and shadow. Over the years, they have experimented with more complex origami concepts and CMYK as a color base, which is then misaligned to show layering and to create more visual depth. The use paper (kami, kraft, office, Canson Mi-Tientes, Canson Black Drawing, and more), rulers, compass, protractors, pencils, embossing tools, tape, craft knives, water, and spray paint to continue to experiment with other foldable surfaces and paints.

Kayte spent much of their life casually making creative works as a form of stress release, whether through origami, book binding, traditional crafts, photography, woodworking, or whatever they could experiment with. Their artistic practice is informed by their education in print media to create works that play with the definition of 'painting.' They experiment with corrugation, geometry, and hand-drafting techniques to fold paper and create depth, highlights, and shadows, spray paint them, then flatten the paper, creating a sense of visual illusion on a flat surface. They hope their audience will get a sense of space, wonder, calm, and curiosity through from their works, and keep their work accessible across class and cultural lines. They find their art fits in with modern approaches to papercraft as well as themes of Op-art and tromp-l'oeil and explores the unanticipated beauty of CMYK printing errors to evoke personal responses through the visuals of each piece. They fibd their art fits in with modern bold abstract art, and they study origami crease patterns to better understand ways of creating and celebrating the illusion of shadow and light, intention and error.

Colorful Complexity will be on view daily through Saturday 6/28 and is a collaboration between the library, the artist, and Evolve Coaching. 25% of each sale will benefit the library. 

Follow Kayte on their tumblr: burnsbothends.tumblr.com!