Meet Katie Wilson | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Wilson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Maintaining a proper work-life balance has been something I have prioritized since I began accepting commissions for Artkitectures. Between work, my art, and personal life, it becomes easy to get overwhelmed and to over commit. When I take on a new project, I make sure that my calendar still has a little time for the things that are important to me and that bring me the most joy. It often means I don’t get to accept as many projects as I’d like and some things may have a longer lead time, but if I plan on there being any longevity to Artkitectures, I know that I personally need to avoid hustle culture.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
While I enjoy many forms of art, I am most known for my architectural, landmark, and landscape portraits that I create under the name, Artkitectures. My pieces are completely hand drawn, starting with a sketch on graph paper and followed by a tracing on marker paper. I complete the pieces with alcohol based markers and colored pencils. Some are private commissions of homes or businesses and others are pieces of more notable or popular locations that I sell in my print shop. I’m inspired by the feelings the places I draw evoke and the many stories those places hold. I find it fascinating how one building, sign, or trail can mean so many different things to people, or even the same person. I’m most proud of how persistent I have been in my work over the last three years and, although it’s been slow, the growth that I’ve been able to accomplish.

I learned how to draw homes in 2010 at FIDM in San Francisco. My course work required drawing classes, and a homework assignment one night was to find a picture of a house on the internet and draw it. I loved it and played around with the style over the years, but I didn’t consider being available for commissions or creating prints until the summer before COVID. I drew a friends store that’s in a building I love downtown, and then a few more businesses and houses until I got interest in commissions. When we were in lockdown, I lost my job and more actively began trying to create and sell art.

It hasn’t always been easy, and I struggle the most with wishing for faster growth and comparing myself to others. When I’m feeling those things, I remind myself that I am on my own journey and I am doing it in the way that feels the most authentic to me. I remember that I am doing the best that I can and I choose to believe that instead of casting judgement on myself for not doing more. And then I will pull out my portfolio, and I’ll thumb through all the pages, and I’ll think of all the joy that those pages brought people and know that I did that, and that is enough. Those experiences have led to some of the greatest lessons on this journey. Letting go of expectations, mine and others, reminding myself that my accomplishments are big, and trusting that the right things will happen for me with time, authenticity, and persistence,

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Ventura, CA, a small beach town with a passion for surf, art, nature, and a strong sense of community and pride. One of my favorite parts about Ventura is that we have so many great small businesses to support. For food, I recommend checking out Ventura Avenue for amazing taco trucks. Other notable favorites are Fluid State, I love Sushi, and Finney’s. If you’re a craft beer fan, we have an abundance of breweries and you could make a day of beer tasting in the downtown or industrial part of town. We have so many, something is always happening at them entertainment wise as well including live music, trivia nights, bingo, art events, and markets. My favorites are Seaward Brewing and Ventura Coast Brewing Company. If you like wine, I highly recommend the selection of low intervention wines at Wildflower Winery and for cocktails, you can’t miss Ventiki or Cocktail Trust.

While here, you have to enjoy the great outdoors. We have great beaches and are known for our surfing. The beach has a great bike path that will take you up the coast. There’s also great hiking in almost every direction, and Ventura has some short trails with great views. For a more strenuous journey, I recommend heading up to Ojai and making a day of it by stopping in their downtown for lunch and shopping. Back in Ventura, you can enjoy a picnic at Cemetery Park and enjoy the sunset, beach views, and friendly dogs running around. I also recommend heading up to “The Cross” on a clear day for the perfect view of the city and islands. If time permits, you can even take a boat out to the islands for camping, hiking, and kayaking. Finally, don’t miss our fun downtown area full of fun shops and thrift stores!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m lucky to be surrounded by an amazing support system. I have a partner at home that is my biggest cheerleader, and his encouragement and hard work enable me to focus more time on my art and establishing Artkitectures. At a more macro level, I’m fortunate enough to know so many talented and supportive artists through the Ventura creative community. Since day one I feel like I’ve had an open and receptive network of people to celebrate and share my work with and I love getting to see their journey too.

Website: artkitectures.com

Instagram: artkitectures

Image Credits
Albany Katz