Katie Hart Art399 Portfolio

Author/Artist Name

Katie HartFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Spring 5-6-2025

Artist Statement

Recently, I have begun exploring color as an emotional language—one that can communicate the complex and often contradictory aspects of the human experience. Color is not merely a visual tool; it is a deeply emotional medium that conveys the subtle tensions, contrasts, and harmonies inherent in the process of self-discovery. Through photography, I delve into the concept of self-duality, the coexistence of seemingly opposing forces within us, and how these forces shape our understanding of who we are. Within some of my portraits, I explore the tension between organic and geometric forms. By applying contrasting values—highlights, shadows, and tonal ranges—to suggest depth and mood. This conflicts with other photos, where the geometric forms engage with pattern and rhythm instead. The transition of focus through the depth of field is central to my digital work, allowing me to play with texture and tone in different ways, but the underlying goal remains the same: a snapshot of an emotional and psychological state that may evolve or transform as time moves forward. Through this process, color becomes a visual representation of transformation itself. Self-duality reflects the inherent contradictions of the human condition. We are constantly negotiating between light and darkness, certainty and uncertainty, peace and turmoil. Color becomes a way to explore this internal conflict, embodying the emotional and psychological spaces between these contrasting states. By using color, I am able to reflect the fluid and dynamic nature of identity, acknowledging that who we are is never static. Our emotional landscapes are layered, ever-changing, and composed of diverse hues that can both clash and coexist. Photographer Uta Barth and her study with light and how it interacts and abstracts onto things, has been a recent new influence for me. One such example that I wish to explore further by pairing two pictures that share either a small moment or juxtaposed with one another in some way. Whether it be implemented with abstract self portraits combined with natural landscapes or lighting, the connection between the two will seem to meld into a feeling. Ultimately, my work is about more than the visual—it’s about preserving the beauty that exists in small, often unnoticed details, and offering a glimpse into the emotional layers beneath them. This intentionality is influenced by the work of Sally Mann and Imogen Cunningham, who inspire my approach to tone and composition, Uta Barth’s study of abstraction in light, as well as Brooke Shaden with her past projects involving a closer look at the concept of death.
All this to showcase that I’m still developing which I will pair together, but the emotion the two either display will be something that seems fleeting, the question of whether or not we are the result of our own making or if we can go against ourselves and change.

Advisor/Mentor

Cintia Segovia-Figueroa, Mike Martin

Description

For the majority of this exhibit, I have some past pieces that I did towards the beginning of my college career. These mainly contain early intro to wood creations and some introduction sculptural work made within studio practice. The rest of my work focuses inherently on photography mediums, whether it be digital or analog; there is two digital pieces that don't include photo exactly, but I do utilize elements within that are important to my newest artist statement exploration idea. Within my statement, I expressed interest in exploring color as an emotional language—one that can communicate the complex and often contradictory aspects of the human experience. Color is not merely a visual tool; it is a deeply emotional medium that conveys the subtle tensions, contrasts, and harmonies inherent in the process of self-discovery. This is a very new focus area for myself and my art, with only a handful of pieces being shown within my portfolio with this focus. In regards, I have begun trying to explore this context within myself as a subject, either through memories or moments I have in my life. Much more personal aspects that I still need to further expand on in the right way, but it is exciting to me. Lighting within photo pieces is important to creating a certain setting or tone to the emotion trying to be displayed. The end of my thumbnail will feature four digital photos that explore the new theme with layering three images in one each in a separate color tone, red, blue, or yellow, and to see each picture, you must look through a specific color gel, green, blue, and red. I took inspiration from a digital print artist that did large scale print drawings using this method and project the gel onto the wall to see the layers.

Photo Credit

Artist Book photo credit, Lu Colby, 2025

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Recommended Citation

Hart, Katie, "Katie Hart Art399 Portfolio" (2025). Professional Practices (ART 399). 176.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art399/176