Alaska-based artist Hollis Kitchin paints landscapes, illustrations, animal portraits and whatever suits her fancy.
Artist Statement:
Our surroundings help to shape us, and the uncertainty and spontaneity of the Alaskan landscape and weather informs my body of work. The way light streams through trees, fog and mist fascinates me. The interaction of plate tectonics and how it creates vastly different environments across the state is awe inspiring to me. As an artist interpreting these familiar natural structures, fora and fauna with constantly changing weather patterns into a painting requires a balance of control and chaos.
For me watercolor is the perfect medium to interpret the land and sky. The flow of the paint, the way the brushstrokes dissolve into each other and the way the pigment settles into the peaks and valleys of the paper mimics the spontaneity of nature. The mathematical repetition of shapes within plants and angles in mountain sides helps to create a visual sense of structure and control within my work. Connecting with nature creates a thrill of exploration both tangibly and creatively.
Education
2012 Bachelor of Arts, Art. May 2012 University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK
Degree emphasis in Drawing and Ceramics
Solo Exhibitions
2020 Annie Kaill’s Art Gallery, Juneau, AK March 2020
2019 Perseverance Theater, Artist Feature, Juneau, AK Nov - Dec 2019
2019 Barnaby Brewing, Juneau, AK October 2019
2019 Amalga Distillery, Juneau, AK April 2019
2018 Harbor Tea and Spice, Juneau, AK May 2018
2014 Heritage Coffee, Juneau, AK October 2014
2013 Heritage Coffee, Juneau, AK October 2013
Group Exhibitions
2017 Persisters, ‘Pop up Art Show’ Rockwell Ballroom, Juneau AK
2017 Persisters, ‘Pre-existing Condition’ Rockwell Ballroom, Juneau A
Residencies
2019 Alaskan Robotics Comics Camp, Juneau, AK
2018 Alaskan Robotics Comics Camp, Juneau, AK
2017 Alaskan Robotics Comics Camp, Juneau, AK
Comissions, Publications, Workshops, Contests
2020 Poster Image, Mountainside Open Mic Spring Season
2019 Kindred Post Holiday Card, December
2019 Kindred Post Workshop: Watercolor Basics with Hollis
2019 Poster Image, Mountainside Open Mic Fall Season
2019 Kindred Post Post Card Contest
2019 Poster Image, Mountainside Open Mic Spring Season
2018 Poster Image, Mountainside Open Mic Fall Season
2017 Kindred Post Post Card Contest
2012 Tidal Echoes, UAS Literary & Arts Journal. 12
Work
2020 Properties Master, ‘Silent Sky’ by Lauren Gunderson, Perseverance Theater, Juneau, AK and Anchorage, AK
2019 Properties Master, ‘With’ by Carter Lewis, Perseverance Theater, Juneau AK