Artwork From Home: Kate Castelli

Kate Castelli is a Somerville-based artist whose paper-based works have been exhibited in her native Massachusetts, New York, and London. She is currently the department chair for Lesley University’s Illustration and Visual Narrative programs. Previous professional projects have included designing a book cover for Haruki Murakami’s Men Without Women for Penguin Random House UK, Duke University Press, and Sony Music.  You can check out her mixed-media works, which experiment with geometric forms, risograph prints, and vintage images, on Instagram and her website. A participate since 2009, Kate’s numerous sketchbooks, including “Untitled,” “Nōlī turbāre círculōs meōs,” and her Tiny Sketchbook “Untitled,” are beautiful extensions of her art practice, moving between the everyday human experience to pages inspired by the scale and awe of space travel. 

On April 2nd, 7pm EST, Castelli will lead a virtual workshop on “Tips and Tricks for Collage.” You can tune into the session by signing up for our Small Talks series!

What does your workspace look like now?

I’m really fortunate to have a dedicated studio space in my apartment. It’s actually the largest room in the space and has great light. It’s set up in three zones: a flat work table with a wall dedicated to pinning stuff up, a storage area with shelving and flat files, and a reading nook where I usually hunker down with my laptop. 

How have present circumstances affected your creativity?

It’s been a dramatic change. As department chair and full-time faculty in the Illustration and Visual Narrative program at Lesley Art and Design, I’ve shifted from teaching 3 days a week to working from home trying to best translate our spring semester courses to online platforms (no easy task when you teach studio courses at an art school). My weekly schedule normally has designated studio time built in alongside my academic responsibilities. Now, I’m trying to find my groove in this new normal. I’ve definitely been struggling to get into a creative headspace.

What are some art-making materials you can’t live without? 

My sketchbook, black pens (I love G2 Rollerballs and Micron PN), #11 X-Acto Knives, and a bone folder. I actually carry a bone folder with me in every bag alongside my pens. 

How do you make time for your art practice at home? 

Over the years, I’ve learned I don’t work well in the studio during the morning. So I dedicate that time to answering emails, updating social media, or scanning and image editing. I’m a night owl and my favorite time to work is 6pm until midnight (or later). I take it as a good sign if in the morning when I wake up and look at the previous night’s progress I still like it. 

I’ve been teaching for over a decade and am permanently on the academic calendar. My studio practice ebbs and flows with the semesters. I almost exclusively dedicate the summer to art-making. Art-making is a demand on the body and mind and so is teaching. Sometimes they fuel each other and sometimes they compete. It can be a challenge to balance both.

Do you listen to or read anything while you work? 

I always listen to music when I work: anything from classic rock to angsty ‘90s pop. The Rolling Stones are my absolute favorite. My current studio playlist includes Lady Gaga, Lizzo, Janelle Monáe, and Elton John.

How do you get through creative blocks? 

Patience. Self-doubt has its seasons and they are uncomfortable in their uncertainty. I know now not to force it but take an opportunity to step back and refuel. I love being in the city because walking everywhere gives me time and space to let my mind wander. I love browsing used bookstores, going to art museums, and hanging out in coffee shops with my sketchbook. I always have my sketchbook—it becomes an archive for all the fragments I collect along the way.