Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathy Kissik.
Hi Kathy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up on 50 acres of apple orchards in Cumberland, RI. My grandfather, a Ukrainian immigrant, was a master of necessity; he saved every scrap to build the machines and structures he needed to survive. In our world, nothing was ever discarded—everything was repurposed. That environment is where my eye for the ‘found object’ was born.
My path to art wasn’t a straight line. I wasn’t encouraged toward creativity in my youth, so I initially started in advertising design. I quickly realized my soul didn’t belong in that ‘polished’ world; I needed a process that was tactile and real. This led me to SMFA/Tufts, where my identity as a mixed-media artist was finally nurtured.
The momentum after graduation was a whirlwind. I was named a 5th-year Traveling Scholar, which led directly to an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and a contract with Alpha Gallery. That early success set the stage for a lifelong adventure of making a living through my hands and my imagination.
In 2005, I followed the light down to Miami Beach and became a resident at the South Florida Arts Center. I fell in love with the international perspective and the ‘rebel spirit’ of the community here. Since 2012, I’ve been showing with the Robert Fontaine Gallery, continuing to evolve those ‘repurposed’ roots into a practice that speaks to the multifaceted world we inhabit today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been anything but smooth; it has been a series of deep compressions followed by expansion. The first real hurdle was simply giving myself permission to be an artist. I spent time in advertising design trying to fit into a corporate mold that felt like pure static. Walking away from that ‘safe’ path was my first true act of rebellion—the moment I stopped following expectations and started listening to my own rhythm.
Then, there is the raw hustle of the independent path. Being a lifelong artist means being an entrepreneur, a fabricator, and a visionary all at once. There were lean years where ‘repurposing’ wasn’t just an aesthetic choice inherited from my grandfather; it was a survival tactic.
Relocating to Miami in 2005 was another leap into the unknown, requiring me to prove myself all over again in a new landscape. in 2014 I faced a major turning point: a wrong-way collision on the 395 that left me unable to walk for a year. Creating artwork under those conditions challenged every bit of my ingenuity. Supported by a grant from the Stephen King Haven Foundation, I navigated that recovery by evolving my process, proving that even under extreme constraint, the work finds its way toward expansion.
A few years later, a profound personal loss shifted my world again. I turned to my practice not just to process the grief, but to transmute it. These experiences represent the pressure required for upward growth; I’ve found that we don’t ‘get over’ such depths—we must grow larger to encompass them.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
“I define my work as Urban Constructivism—a collision of my own photography with found objects, painting, and industrial materials. I build pieces that bridge the gap between what we see and what we feel, essentially constructing ‘dreamscapes’ that challenge our perception of reality.
Sometimes these dreams are romantic, manifesting as thick, abundant blankets of flowers. Other times, they take the form of my FundaMENTAL factories™ series. Building on a lifelong fascination with architecture, I envision these as ‘castles of industry’ where intangible concepts like love, hope, and peace can be manufactured and made real. Much like the artist Charles Sheeler, I view these industrial structures as modern cathedrals. I’m questioning what we actually worship today, creating a visual map of what we need to truly thrive, rather than just survive.”
“I believe art does more than reflect history; it shapes our reality. Because everything we see began as an act of imagination, we have the power to reject fear and imagine a world that is inclusive and abundant. I don’t just make a picture; I construct a reality.
I’ve never looked away from the difficult chapters of my life—I’ve used them as fuel. I believe real growth only happens through resistance. My latest work explores this through the iconic American Cowboy. Using a stark, black-and-white palette, I’m interrogating the tension between ‘good’ and ‘bad.’ I’m not looking for a middle ground; I’m interested in the arc that happens when those two opposites collide.”
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
To me, every single artwork is a risk. I don’t create for a specific market or a pre-determined audience; I create to distill my own truth. I’ve found that this is the only way a piece has a chance of being successful. If a work isn’t authentic to my own experience, it won’t resonate with anyone else.
By staying true to my own vision, I am risking the hope that others will relate—and that through that vulnerability, they’ll feel a sense of connection. That is the ultimate contribution I can make. It is the risk of being truly seen, of putting a private vision out for the world to judge.
Ultimately, to be an independent artist is to live in a state of constant, calculated risk. You are betting everything on the power of imagination to shape reality. It is a commitment to a thriving, expansive life, fueled by the belief that the spark only happens when you are willing to step into the unknown.
Pricing:
- $2500-$30,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kathykissik.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathykissik/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/39-kathy-kissik-39-243a358/
- Youtube: https://www.linkedin.com/in/39-kathy-kissik-39-243a358/
