Kathy King:

Kathy grew up outside of Boston then left and got her MFA at the University of florida and her BA at connecticut college. She currently resides in Boston and holds the position of Director of education at the ceramics program, office for the arts at harvard. She has also been a visiting faculty at the School of the Museum of fine Arts, Rhode Island school of Design, and the University of Massachusetts. She has actually (believe it or not) had an exhibition at The Morean Arts Center in St. Pete.

Kathy is a present day artist that works with ceramics. Most of her pieces are utilitarian and made with the sgraffito technique. She does narrative vessels, tiled furniture, and printmaking.

Her work centers on the presentation of narrative through ceramic vessels, tile work and printmaking, with a feminist POV. She is interested in the influence that popular culture has on people, women specifically. She uses satire and humour to address and understand gender and sexuality.

Why did I choose this artist?

She is not really relevant to my concentration but her pieces are really stylized and intricate. I really appreciate her work because of the craftsmanship. I am going to start working on some sgraffito projects soon and her work will be my inspiration for those. Her pieces are very satirical and interesting. I really like her style; her sgraffito pieces look almost like ink and pen drawing that are super intricate.

https://www.kathykingart.com/http://www.mudfire.com/kathy-king-am08.htm

Tattooes Lady Love and Adorn PlatesDate: ca. 2013Form: Plate

Materials: PorcelainMethod: Thrown

Surface Technique: Sgraffito

Description: This is a set of two plates that have an organic circular shape. The plates each have a border

with a white floral pattern on it. The inner part of the plates are decorated with sgraffito technique. There are two women, probably the same woman depicted twice, that have the words “love” and “adorn” tattooed on them. The woman has her hair in a bun and seems to be wearing a corset. The lines within the middle portion are very stylized and unorderly, yet

they still look very planned and detailed.Analysis:

The black center and white border create a stark contrast. The pieces are very stylized. The lines in the sgraffito work are very short and sharp. The pieces are radial as they branch out

from the women in the center of the circular plate. The pieces are symmetrical and they seem to be reflections of each other.

Interpretation:

Most of King’s work has a feminist feel to it. This piece could be commenting on self expression and common standards for women. The women shown in these pieces have

tattoos and are wearing what looks like a corset; they are not “traditional feminine” women.Judgement:

These pieces are super unique not only because of their meaning, but they also have a very interesting style.