Artist In Window

CURRENT ARTIST: Kate Bingaman-Burt

A Calculator, A Bag of Cotton Candy, and a Couple Pairs of Shoes
A new pile of work from Kate Bingaman-Burt

SHOWING JULY - AUGUST

I am writing this show statement in a parked car while my almost 4 year old Hank naps in the back seat. It’s 3:34 in the afternoon. I think I have a good thirty minutes to jam this out before he wakes up. 

Earlier today, I spent my second morning at Vein of Gold where I made four paintings. Three I sort of like and one isn’t quite finished, but I will finish it up tomorrow morning when I arrive for my third day. After tomorrow, I will only have seven more mornings to finish the work that will be on display for my newest pile of stuff titled: A Calculator, A Bag of Cotton Candy, and a Couple Pairs of Shoes. 

When Rebekah asked me about being the July/August 2022 Vein of Gold Window Artist about a year ago, I secretly had my eye on an empty corner of her shop and thought: damn, what if I could just have my own table and come in when no one was around and just paint by myself? What a dream. And that’s how my 10 day residency was born. 

Over the last 20 years I have made work about the things we buy and the stories behind our stuff. I have drawn a lot for myself (books, zines, paintings, a 16 year old daily purchase drawing project) and I have drawn a lot for other people (New York Times, Hallmark, Chipotle, Madewell). 5 years ago I opened up Outlet which is a risograph print shop, community maker space where my business partner Leland Vaughan and I host workshops, pop-up events and is the home to a small gift shop filled with prints, cards and zines. We also offer an array of services from printing, button making, binding and more. What Outlet is NOT the home of, much to my embarrassment, is my own dang studio. I opened up Outlet with the intention of moving my studio into the space, but as you might have gathered, I somehow kicked myself out. 

I also had Hank in 2018 (one year after opening Outlet) so a lot of my non-outlet and non-school work happens on my couch after Hank goes to sleep. Or in my car (like right now) when Hank is sleeping. Or on our kitchen table after Hank goes to sleep. I constantly tell my students (I am the head of the graphic design program at Portland State) that it’s so important to have a workspace just for you. It’s essential to carve out a corner that you can make your own. But, like a lot of my advice, I don’t take it. 

So here I am at Vein of Gold with my own table that I don’t have to pack up to make room for dinner or pack up to get out of the way of Hank hands or to pack up for a risograph workshop. And it’s a dream. Also, I have some rules to follow for these morning sessions:

  1. No do-overs.

  2. No email.

  3. Buy one iced americano and one blueberry muffin every morning from Arbor Lodge coffee.

  4. Paint objects from my swollen list of things-that-I-want-to-draw-but-haven’t-had-time-to-draw-them list.

  5. Paint clothing and objects from Vein of Gold that look like my drawings.

  6. Paint records from my collection and from the Vein of Gold collection that are sort of the size of actual records.

  7. Make 3 to 4 paintings each morning session.

  8. Arrive at 8 AM and leave by noon (repeat ten times).

  9. Get a damn table of my own so I can continue to do this after my opening on July 14th from 6 to 8. Hope to see you there. 

  10. Take my own advice more often.

PS: It’s 4:11 and Hank is still napping and my laptop battery is almost dead. Can't wait to paint tomorrow.

Kate Bingaman-Burt mostly draws, letters, documents, and collects, but she also does a lot of other things that involve energy, conversation, and exchange. She is a full-time educator and makes illustrations for all sorts of clients all around the world. Since 2008, she has worked at Portland State University and now holds the rank of Professor of Graphic Design and is also the Associate Director of the School of Art and Design. Kate opened Outlet in 2017, which hosts workshops, pop-up events, and a fully operational risograph print studio. 

 

WHERE TO FIND THEM:

http://instagram.com/katebingburt
http://instagram.com/outletpdx
http://instagram.com/psugd

 

PAST ARTISTS IN WINDOW:

Juliette Muracchioli (INSTAGRAM) + Jessie Nakahara (INSTAGRAM) / Drawing + Painting

Jason Sturgill / Illustrator / INSTAGRAM , WEBSITE

Ryan Molenkamp / Painter / INSTAGRAM , WEBSITE

Megan Snelten / Marbling + Textiles / INSTAGRAM , WEBSITE

Juan Tarté / Drawing + Painting / INSTAGRAM