Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Kathie Chicoine


For as along as I can remember, I've loved going to art exhibits and galleries.
I never considered being an artist.
I didn't feel I had any talent.

So...I received a BSN degree and began my nursing career. 
I thoroughly enjoyed working as a nurse manager on Alzheimer units for over 20 years. 
When I retired, my husband bought me a digital camera and
I discovered my hidden talent.
 Photography and Digital Art have since become my passion.
I've always been especially inspired by color, texture, and shapes.
I love the textures and shapes of buildings, especially old homes and barns and enjoy driving around the area to photograph them.
I especially enjoy taking photographs of nature–especially flowers. I started by taking my camera with me to the botanic gardens and arboretum.
I began to branch out into other areas.  I started "tweaking" my photos by adding textures and using various tools and filters to give them a softer, more painterly, look.  These images I call artistic photography.

After awhile I found that by layering several of my photos and experimenting with various tools and filters, I could create entirely new images that bore no resemblance to the original photos. These images I call photographic art.
When  I discovered digital art, I began to create fun, joyful images directly from the computer.  My digital art frequently has a whimsical, childlike quality to it.  There is a loose, free feel to the images because I use my non-dominant hand when painting.
Next I discovered fractals and now use several programs on the computer to generate images that I can then manipulate and/or layer to create a unique image.      
My latest interest is taking unposed photographs of people as they go about their business. 
 I edit the photographs so they are not quite so recognizable by using several different image editors. 

I call this series "Glimpses of Ordinary Life".
It seems as though each day brings new ideas that I want to try out and new techniques to experiment with.  I'm a self-taught artist; constantly looking for new ways to express my creativity.  I've discovered through my photography that creating art brings me joy and I am truly blessed to be able to do wha I love.

I've had 3 solo shows at:
     *Ethical Humanist Society in Skokie, IL.
     *Palatine Library  in Palatine, IL.
     *Bartlett City Hall Gallery

http://www.facebook.com/kathiechicoinephotography
http://www.kathie-chicoine.artistwebsites.com/
http://www.kathiechicoinephotography.wordpress.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathiechic/albums