Discover artist, author and playwright Kate Birch’s journey from kitchen table sketches to international acclaim
HOW I MAKE IT WORK
For as long as I can remember I’ve been making art. That meant spending hours at the kitchen table, as a child, drawing women in beautiful gowns and dogs wearing clothes eating in fancy restaurants. And because I was encouraged and praised, I nurtured that talent.
In college – thinking that I was going to major in education – I had an amazing professor in an elective drawing class who encouraged me to switch my major to fine art. As someone easily influenced by praise, I took her advice and got my degree in painting and drawing.
Even before I graduated, I had begun showing my art in any venue that I could. I started out in small coffee shops and farmers markets; it was a perfect way to discover my style and connect with art lovers. Eventually, I began showing at galleries and in larger art shows. It was at one of these shows that I met my art publisher, with whom I ended up working for five years.
The art publishing world was a great way to get my work in front of a wide audience, selling at stores like Target and Home Goods. It was also at this time that a number of my paintings were used in feature films. Seeing my art on the big screen was definitely one of the most thrilling moments of my career.
I sometimes wonder what other visual artists do when they’re feeling burnt out and uninspired with their craft. I feel so lucky to have writing to turn to when the well of my visual creativity runs dry. Visual arts and writing are different enough that they don’t feel like they draw from the same source of creative inspiration.
After my divorce, in 2019, I needed a way to support myself and began painting small, 6x6 inch paintings every day as a way to make a bit more money and keep myself grounded in art. I began by
