Katie V. Flowers
Biography
Katie Flowers is an instructor, freelance visual artist. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has extensively exhibited throughout Chicago and its vicinity. Currently, she is working with some of Chicago's leading arts organizations creating a variety of arts related curriculum and visual arts programs for young people, adults and seniors. Ms. Flowers volunteers for the Salvation Army and was deployed for two weeks to Joplin.
Artist Statement Heading link
“The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is where I received my BFA in 2003. Major in Painting/Drawing with emphases in Art Education and Art Therapy. Today, the visual arts remain a passion for me. It is a joy to create, develop, and implement arts outreach lesson plans, programs, seminars and events for leading arts academic institutions, organizations, teaching-artist and non-profit community centers.
My art isn’t necessarily about any specific political, spiritual or worldly issue(s). However, every now and then again my compositions may take a stand and make such statements. My artwork is modern. Conceptual and abstract.
I am proficient using acrylics, oils, oil pastels, water colors, charcoal, pen and ink, and mixed media. In addition to beginner and intermediate jewelry making, and beginners sculpture. Creative software, artistic technologies and traditional methods are integrated to create what I refer to as my original art-prints.
The gift that the Arts brings is its ideology of being omni present. A very useful “awareness” tool that is often used knowingly and unknowingly to connect man and the spirit of man to one another and to the universe.
I have had the fortunate opportunity to work with some of Chicago’s leading arts academic institutions and organizations. When it comes to teaching the Visual arts, the first school of thought I bestow upon my students is that the Arts is for and about “freedom of expression”. Because, before one can discover the joy in the Arts, or find the Arts to be of interest they must be able to examine it. Experience it. Explore it up close. Feel it. Once this process takes root then the process to creating personal and meaningful art begins. Art, regardless of what field is therapeutic and a very useful tool for having moments of meditation, as in enlighten consciousness. This is one of the reasons why the Arts is one of my primary passions of life.
It is the freedom of exploration leading to experimentation that the Visual arts lend to my mind, spirit and soul. In other words, creating art is therapeutic. My primary attraction for the Visual arts is the process which supplies me with moments of meditation. My work may not expose all of the steps taken to produce the by-product however, the work will express my feelings about the state of the world as I see it. Provide the observer an idea about my life experiences. Share my acknowledgement and observation of my environment, inclusive of personal relationships”.