Kathy Cornwell
Kathy Cornwell is a printmaker and mixed-media collage artist based in Northern Virginia. She has been creating monotypes using a gelatin plate since 2018. Cornwell creates mixed-media collages with her prints using both machine cutting and hand-ripping.
An enthusiastic daily hiker and world traveler, Cornwell has a deep sensitivity to the natural shapes she discovers on her hikes and travels, as well as random shapes she encounters daily. This constant state of "shape discovery and capture" makes her a terrible walking companion. On a recent trip to Borneo, rather than joining the group taking photos of orangutans, Cornwell was excitedly taking photos of a fence covered with "the most exquisite" lichen.
Self-taught in midlife, Kathy Cornwell has entered the art world running. Since 2022, she has participated in fifteen juried group exhibitions, and her work has been featured in international art publications, including Women United Art Magazine, Suboart Magazine, The Purposeful Mayonnaise, and Clover + Bee. She was a finalist for the 2023 Women United Art Prize in printmaking, and her work was shortlisted for the 2022 Contemporary Collage Magazine awards. Kathy Cornwell participated in a juried artist residency for the first time in 2024 at Wildacres Retreat in North Carolina. She is represented in the Washington, DC, region by Broadway Gallery.
Contact
www.KathyCornwell.com
hello@kathycornwell.com
@kathy.cornwell.art
Interview
What inspires your art practice and keeps you motivated?
I use a cutting machine to cut shapes out of my monotypes. These are shapes that I've either drawn or discovered while out hiking or traveling. As I'm removing these shapes from the cutting mat, I discover new, incredible shapes that have been formed in the voids. I often create new cut files based on these shapes, and they inspire new compositions. This gives me the feeling of creativity continually giving birth to more creativity, like a faucet that is on, and I'm rushing to capture all that is coming out and to do something good with it. This energizes me, inspires me, and keeps my creative fire burning!
How does your mission as an artist influence the work you create?
I'm pretty obsessed with unique abstract shapes. I think that these one-of-a-kind shapes are powerful: they stir the imagination of the viewer before the viewer even knows what's happening. I think that in this age, when algorithms are driving us all toward liking the same things, these unique shapes can be a useful disruption.
Can you share a key part of your creative process that helps you stay focused?
I try to stay focused by creating yearly and monthly goals and checking in on them regularly. I make sure that I have a list of upcoming opportunities that I'm excited to apply to, which inspire me to work hard and put my most professional foot forward.
What mindset tip do you rely on to overcome challenges in your art career?
Time challenges me (like all of us!), as well as resistance. There are times when I get myself into my studio, and instead of using that precious time to make art or move the needle with my art business, I find myself scrolling and snacking out of avoidance. I find that a studio log/journal keeps me more focused and accountable. I write down the date and time that I arrive, as well as my goals for that session. As the session goes on, I make notes about what I'm learning or issues that are arising—and often, new ideas that are popping up. At the end of the session, it's helpful for me to write out what I should jump right into the next day when I get into the studio!
How do you hope your art impacts the world or your community?
I didn't step into my identity as an artist until my early 50s, after decades of false starts, limiting beliefs, and other roles. I hope that one way my art can impact others is to inspire other women who are aching to step into their creativity but think that they've missed the bus. They haven't! I also hope that the work itself brings peace and creative inspiration to the viewers and collectors.
