Katie Dewood

How did you become interested in the visual arts?

I began taking standard art classes in grade school and I noticed that I had a real interest in art, especially drawing. So, I continued taking art classes in high school and by my senior year I was taking an advanced placement art class. I always enjoyed doing art as a pastime, but I feel that art classes allowed me to further my interest and develop my skills.

How much time did you devote to visual arts in high school?

I know it sounds crazy, but I actually dedicated most of my time in high school to my art classes. The classes were a lot of work, but they never felt like work because I truly loved what I was doing.

How do you plan to continue your interest in art at the University of Michigan?

I plan on continuing to take art class and drawing in my free time, even though I don’t have a lot of it at the moment.

What is your favorite medium to work with and why?

My favorite medium is pencil sketching. Pencil allows me to get a lot of detail and shading effects and I think the visual result of the black and white looks classic. I also enjoy working with colored pencil.

What other areas of visual art are you interested in?

I think sculpture is a very interesting field. I enjoy the three dimensional aspect of the pieces. I have never sculpted, but I would love to try it. I think broadening my range of artistic skill is something I would like to pursue in the future.

What types of things inspire your artwork?

Human emotions definitely inspire a large portion of my work. I am interested in capturing specific emotions on people's faces. Generally, I like to depict expressions that aren't posed or superficial. I feel that art that represents something organic is much more interesting than art that represents something acceptably beautiful. I enjoy capturing something unique, or showing a different quality of something banal.

What piece of your artwork are you most proud of?

I am most proud of a portrait of my friend Alex that I did as part of my advanced placement art portfolio. It does a good job of portraying the emotion on her face. I was interested in getting across her feeling of confusion. It won a gold medal at a Scholastic art competition and I am proud of that achievement.

If you could meet one artist, who would you meet and why?

I would meet M.C. Escher because he has always been one my favorite artists. I admire the abstract qualities of his art, especially the mix of geometric and linear objects. I find his work is very odd and thought provoking and I am fascinated by it.

Did you ever consider pursuing a career as an artist? Why or why not?

No, I never did because I always wanted to pursue a career in the medical profession. I would like to be a cosmetic dentist. However, a lot of people don't realize that art is involved in many fields of medicine, including cosmetic dentistry.

How would you compare the visual arts to other fields of art i.e. the performing arts?

I feel that they involve the same time commitment and dedication and they both yield a final production of work. The only difference is that for performing artists this cumulates in a live performance and for visual artists it is a piece or exhibition. I also feel that there is a lot more artistic freedom in the visual arts. Choreography in theatre and dance often limits the actor or dancer's creative freedom because they are performing someone else's vision. They, of course, make it their own, but their expression is still limited. I think visual artists are less restricted and are, in some cases, recognized for being individuals.

Do you agree with the notion that art shouldn't just be a representation of world, that it should mean something?

Yes, I agree that art should be meaningful, however, I don't think a definite meaning should ever be accepted. I think that art critics can overanalyze and place meanings that weren't intended by the artist on his/her work. I believe that every individual can take a different meaning from a piece of art, because no two people see in the same way. That’s what so moving about all arts in general.

What would you want people to take from your art?

I just hope that they take something away from it: an emotion, a memory, an idea, it doesn't really matter. My art has meaning to me, but it doesn't really have an intended meaning for a specific audience. I want people to put their own perspective on what they see, and if that doesn't match my intention, I don't really care. As long as it means something to them, I know it's appreciated.