A Rare Look into Kathie Olivas’s Studio as She Prepares for ‘Haunted’ @ AFA
While vacationing in Albuquerque a couple of months ago, Kathie offered me the absolute pleasure of shooting some in-progress paintings for Haunted, her solo opening later this month at AFA NYC. It had been a little over a year since I had visited her studio, and the thought of documenting the work to later share with the fans was obviously a thrill. It’s why bloggers do what they do, after all, and it isn’t often that we get an intimate look behind the scenes at CP HQ.
Kathie’s studio is detached from the rest of their house in the mountains. Slipping out the sliding door of the sculpture studio and through a gate leading to the side yard, you then climb up the rocky facade of a small-but-steep incline that actually turns into cliff if you go the wrong way. Hanging a left, you soon see it: a large, glassed-in gazebo with wraparound deck. Ask Kathie about it and she’ll educate (and enterain) you on the perils of building into solid rock.
Despite its imposing size, the interior space of the gazebo is rather tight, with nearly every square inch occupied by easels, canvases, shelving and supplies. Shooting the art became a nerve-racking game of hopscotch as I tried to get the right angle without turning the canvases into dominoes.
The art shown here is only a sampling of what will be on exhibit at AFA. There are also the three-dimensional works, which were lurking in another studio in the house. Kathie’s workspace aside, there are also the toy and print studios, which I’ll document next visit. There’s also their rec room, where paintings and sculpts often spill onto tables, counter tops and any other conceivable surface. Pop into a washroom and you may see 30 some odd Stingy Jacks bathing in the tub. The art is everywhere and it’s incredible and inspiring how two artists have committed themselves so completely.
Anyway, without further adieu, enjoy the tour of Studio KO. Haunted opens Oct. 20th and runs through December at AFA NYC.
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