Charlotte artist Kate Schultz draws inspiration from the quiet stillness of nature, blending realism with abstraction to create art that feels both rooted and dreamlike. After moving to North Carolina from Mississippi, Schultz has grown her practice in Charlotte’s creative community while exhibiting work that celebrates subtlety, color relationships, and peace.
“We fell in love with North Carolina as a whole and loved how Charlotte was nestled in between the mountains and the sea,” she says.
Becoming part of the art community here grew out of her effort in meeting other artists in Charlotte, going to art socials, seminars and visiting art galleries. Today, her work can be found at Shain Gallery in Charlotte, Spoonbill Gallery in Greenville, SC, Bee Street Gallery in Fort Worth Texas and Dallas, Texas and Jackson Street Gallery in Jackson, Mississippi.
Here, Kate tells us more about her career as a Charlotte artist, her current avenues for expression, and what the future holds.
Tell us about your journey within the world of art. What initially introduced you to it?
I’ve always been a creative human and wanted to stray from the norm. As a kid and as an adult, I would consider myself a bit reserved. I found that art was a really great way to express myself when I couldn’t find the right words. My maternal aunt is an artist and my late paternal grandfather was a woodworker… As a young teenager, I absolutely loved my high school art classes. My art teachers always created a safe space where I could fully express myself through painting and drawing.
I then started taking after-school art classes and had a really incredible teacher who taught me all the basics about oils, materials, mixing colors and technique. After high school, I went on to receive a BFA in Painting at the University of Mississippi. The art building on campus was my happy place, where I could be 100% myself.
You say that you’re “currently focusing on color relationships and shapes.” Tell us a bit more about that?
When I first went full-time [in 2020], I was really experimenting a lot. I did a full collection of pandemic specific paintings that were very colorful still lifes, yet had a sense of sadness to them. After those few years of worldly uncertainty, I started painting wild, floral, pattern-like paintings to represent the resurgence of life.
After a couple of years painting those florals, I really took a step back and simplified my work. I wanted people to look at my paintings and feel a sense of calm and not chaos. So I took a bunch of photos of peaceful scenes in nature and started painting extremely simplistic paintings with muted colors and shapes.
My paintings have since evolved into a kind of conjoined effort of shape, blocks of color and a bit of realism. I love intertwining realistic aspects of nature and then non-realistic aspects too. I find it interesting to pair both the normal and abnormal together.
What sparks your creativity and what inspires you to continue pursuing art in your career?
Being outside always sparks creativity for me. I do a lot of observing on a daily basis. We have a big garden in our backyard, and I am constantly finding quiet moments to observe wildlife. We have a few vegetable plots, fruit bushes, many wildflower sections and nestled in them are bird baths and bird houses.
I’m really inspired by special and quiet moments in nature. In a world that’s always “on”, always loud, fast and constantly looking down at our phones, I find what really inspires me are the soft moments when we look up.
What is your artistic process like?
My process starts with sketching out ideas, then drawing on the canvas, mixing colors, then painting multiple layers. I try to paint every day. Some days, I have to shoot photos or the icky administrative work, but most days I just just paint. I do try to take some creative soft days as well, so I don’t get burnt out. Those are filled with simple sketching, walking or relaxing while observing nature.
I truly find that if you put in the hours, it is absolutely worth it. The more I paint, the more inspired I am and the better I get at my craft.
How does making art make you feel? What do you wish your work made others feel?
Making art makes me feel invincible. I truly feel on top of the world when I get into my studio, put some music on and start painting.
It is my hope that my work makes people feel happy, inspired and at peace. I love when art evokes a feeling, especially a feeling of happiness and joy. My paintings are quite whimsical, with the hope being, that they provide a place of momentary escape for the viewer.
Where do you see yourself as a Charlotte artist and your work in the future?
I definitely see myself still painting, still growing with my galleries and most certainly still painting all things nature! We have plans of eventually moving to the mountains. I’d love to have a big studio on our property, where I can paint larger pieces, host artist residencies as well as maybe art classes for youth and adults. We also have ideas of having lots of art swaps and garden potlucks with the community as well. Excited for what’s to come in my future!
kateschultzart.com
@katefschultz
