Kickstarter

Hi guys,

It's been an adventure! I'm almost finished with a new piece (scroll down for images) that I built much like a clock, making use of new technology. You can see this piece in an exhibit August 11th. I'll have the closing reception for my Burkini Surf show this Saturday, July 7th from 7-10 at Kavika Works gallery (731 Pointsettia Blvd, Santa Ana).

Since my last update, the show has been covered by The Huffington Post and Mecca Stars. Three additional reviews are set to come out in the near future, including one from New American Paintings and The Examiner. TIDE magazine in Germany came out with the eight page article on my work, highlighting this series, and printed a limited edition run of 50 shirts featuring my artwork. I received 12 of these which I am selling at half the price if you would like one.

Looking back the project was a success; I achieved what I sought out to do: I gave free surf lessons to a number of Muslim women in southern California over the past 6 months, made large scale art works, exhibited these works in a month long exhibition, and drew up designs for modest and sturdy surf accessories for Muslim women via input from my surf participants, testing out different methods, and research at a Muslim fashion show. (For clothing manufacturers interested in purchasing my designs, contact kate@katesikorski.com).

Here is a short list of shows I will be participating in over the next few months:

"3 Year Anniversary Show", Rothick Art Haus, Fullerton, July 14th from 7-10 pm

"Coastal Commons" (two person show) at Catalyst Art Space (6630 Westminster Blvd. Westminster, CA 92683, August 11th-Sept. 8th, opening night 6-9pm

"Partners in Crime" at Hibbleton Gallery (223 West Santa Fe Avenue Fullerton, CA 92832) September 7

"Girls Doin' It" at The Loft at Liz's (453 S. La Brea Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036) September 8th-Oct 5th

"Stepping Out", with the women's artist collective "Figure Eight", Michigan,TBA       

"Artist Showcase XVI" (one of my Burkini Surf pieces will be used for the show advertisement), at Whittier Law School (333 Harbor Blvd, Costa Mesa) Oct 13, 6-9pm

For continued updates on my work and where to check it out in person, you can “like” my artist Facebook page: Kate Sikorski Art or follow my blog.

Thank you to all those who made this project possible!

<3 Kate

I’ve been splitting more pier panels with crowbars, sitting down at the sewing machine, and tapping bottles with a butter knife lately. While the funding for this Kickstarter project petered out last month, I was fortunate enough to sell one of my large pieces, allowing me to continue the project for another few months on a shoestring budget! Clearly, I don’t quite have the funding to explore new media yet, but when I do, I will be adding light and sound (interviews) to my art objects. 

This project has sent so many opportunities my way lately. I was given a limited edition t-shirt deal (email me if you want to buy one!) and a feature article in a German magazine that is set to come out in the near future.  I gave my studio a rare organizing for a studio visit in April from a news team from a local-to-national website, and was inducted into something called Club of the Waves which has taken me almost a year to get into.

Patch Dot Com Article

Club of the Wave Artist Page

I continue to meet and surf with new models, regular women in Orange County who choose to wear the hijab. Each model has been fun, charming, intelligent, and decent. These are individuals who I can’t help enjoy working with. When we meet up to surf, as much as we set out to discuss serious issues of bigotry, we end up laughing a lot as stories about their crushes, ambitions, and preoccupations are more plentiful. Here are some images I have created in the past few weeks, some shots of my newest large piece (up at the Hurley Gallery), the next large piece in progress, sketches made of the surf participants at the beach or in my studio, and a life-drawn sketch or yours truly to fill in the anatomical gaps in my visual research.

I will have a solo show during the Santa Ana art walk on June 2nd at Kavika Works Gallery (731 Poinsettia St. Santa Ana) from 7-10pm. I am also gearing up for another show in August, which will be previewed in American Art Collector magazine’s next issue. I’ve been averaging one show every week--exhausting!--some of the most recent ones last month were: “Creatures from the Deep at the Hurley Gallery” (Laguna Beach), “The Conchinita Show” at Catalyst Art Space (Westminster), “Californians” (South Korea), Pop-Up Show at Anneise (Long Beach), “Artist Showcase XV” (Costa Mesa), and “Cannibal Flower” (NE Los Angeles). If you would like more frequent reminders for upcoming shows in your area, you can “like” my artist page on Facebook:Kate Sikorski Art.

These are some experimental color studies I made from the latest surfing photo shoot, and also a rough compositional thumbnail and an architectural sketch of a place near one of my favorite surfing spots.

I've been booked for a solo show during the Santa Ana art walk in June, a two person show in July in an upscale area of LA, and a two person show in August in Westminster with a talented painter who has a decent following. Three new models have also expressed an interest in going out surfing in the near future as well.

Things are wonderfully busy and going very well!

 Thanks again,

Kate

Hi Everyone!

Within hours of finishing my first Burkini Surf piece last week, it was loaded into a truck and brought to an art space/ wine bar in Long Beach where it will hang along with many of my other surf art pieces for the next two months. (Details on where to go to check that out below.) I had another opening that same night at Catalyst Art Space in Westminster, where I am exhibiting a portrait of a female cyclist painted onto two salvaged car hoods.

Earlier this week I went driving around before trash pick up and scored some panels I was told just got ripped off the pier. I took them home and washed them with special solution. Yesterday I spent the day splitting these in the wood shop with 3 crow bars and toilet paper jammed in my ears (this business is loud!). I am now finishing building this second drawing substrate for the Burkini Surf series in my studio.

This morning I went out again with one of my models/ beginning surfers and we had a lot of fun--she was able to stand up many times and is getting better at reading waves.

Thanks again and more pictures are to come!

-Kate

4th Street Vine (where to go to see my art!)

2142 E. 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90814  

562.343.5463

M-W             5-9pm

Thurs-Fri      5-11pm

Sat                2-11pm

Sun               2-8pm

I've been sneaking into the woodshop at my old college campus, spending long days adding and subtracting pieces to find a design that effectively moves the eyes around the composition, yet does not rip out of the wall upon hanging it or cause my boyfriend to swear when we try to carry it places. 

I've gotten pretty confident with previously scary pieces of dangerous machinery, and even bought a deadly looking piece for the dremel I own but had been too afraid to play with the past few years. I've sawed at and routered out this piece in the woodshop, in my studio, in the garage, in the hallway, on the balcony, in the living room, and yes, even in the bathroom! These are some process shots, to give you an idea of where I have been and what I've been up to.

More to come.