The Artist Interview: May 2010 [Pre-Release]

If the edge of the Mansfield art scene was a chessboard, she'd be the Queen. If it was a hive, well, she'd be the Queen Bee. Kate Westfall is a fiery burst of creativity loosely contained inside a collander. And just like a collander, the insides are always leaking out. We took a recent art-ambassador roadtrip/getaway to Detroit. Sitting in PJ's Lager House on Michigan Ave, the Queen set her inked stinger to lay down her thoughts for TAI.

GypsyLuc: Let’s get a base reading for the force that is Kate Westfal. If you had to label your roles as they relate to the arts & creativity - what words would you choose?

Kate: My roles? I suppose you'd have to ask other people what my roles are to them. I might be a glutton, a muse, or an exhibitionist, depending on who you ask. The labels I'm willing to accept for myself would be: Artist – this applies to everything. This is my answer, excuse, and reason. Musician – I'm most often a singer, but also a percussionist. Currently, my main instrument is a digital looper. Fiber Artist – I design and crochet my hats, called Brain Blankets. I've also done plenty of fashion augmentation, and have created a few quilts. Poet – this was my main focus for a long time, and I still have an interest, but my focus has shifted more toward visual and aural arts. I also enjoy graphic arts (I make plenty of flyers, book covers, CD art, web photos, etc.), painting, costuming, photography, collaborating, and instigating.


GypsyLuc: What are your earliest childhood memories related to creating?

Kate: Coloring. Making up stories – sometimes this took the form of 'pretending'. Sometimes I was practicing the art of manipulation on my brothers. I'm into open honesty now! Dancing and lip syncing to pop songs & picking out fabric for skirts my mom was making for me.

GypsyLuc: Did you have a supportive atmosphere in your artistic/creative endeavors growing up?

Kate: Yes. If people laughed, or thought something I did was “weird”, I felt encouraged. This is what often happened. I considered it the equivalent of accomplishing something unique. If more people had called me “stupid”, it would have defeated me and I would have developed into a meeker me. Growing up in a rural area with limited resources definitely encourages creativity, especially with a like-minded brother. Of course, my mother always responded positively when her kids made things. Sometimes she would be surprised by something I made or did, but never discouraged me. I think there was a rapid transition from surprise to delight to pride. I still see her often, and she discusses ideas with me, listens to my poems, and suggests ways to find resources or methods of expansion for my projects.

GypsyLuc: Can you share a story about someone who has supported, guided or inspired you along the way?

Kate: My mom tells me that when I was very young, I dressed myself in two different socks. She pointed it out, and asked me why I did it. I told her that they both matched what I was wearing, and she simply agreed. That must have been enough to convince her that unusual methods were reasonable and delightful, and she never stopped giving me permission to try things. As a single mom, she also made sure to teach me to take care of myself, to guide me into formal education, and to give me the confidence to be a strong woman. My dear friend, Jeff Bell, introduced me to the real possibility of having any life I wanted, beyond the limits I had placed for myself, and this empowered me greatly.

GypsyLuc: Share a little bit about your progression from where you started to where you are now skill-wise, how you view ‘art’, your growth as a creative being, phases you’ve been through.

Kate: This is a huge question! I'll try to answer briefly. Art: coloring, doodling, playing with clothes and costuming, using discarded items to make new things, some art classes, sketching, collaborative projects. Crochet: I learned a basic stitch from my Grandma Gerry at around age 8, relearned/remembered the stitch as a teenager, experimented with new stitches, made things as gifts, made extra, was offered shelf space at a friend's business, started putting Brain Blankets in gallery shops. Music: we learn a LOT by mimicking the music we hear. That's where it starts. Sparse piano lessons, school/church bands and choirs, playing with friends, listening to what other people like about different kinds of music, experimenting with equipment, being invited to play percussion in a friend's band, trying to make my own music and learn how to do it on my own when forming and keeping a band together seemed like a hassle.

GypsyLuc: You’re pretty active in the Mansfield art community. Can you share some details about the many hats you’ve worn over the past year or so?

Kate: I managed a pottery shop for a brief time, and learned a lot about art business. I perform my music whenever I can – my own, and some with Jeff Bell. I've been hosting a monthly poetry and music open mic in Mansfield for the past few years. My loft has become the location of a weekly art night for local artists, now called the YelloWall Collective, and we've had an open house, and a couple of multi-band concerts up there. I work with professors at local universities in their art classes. I organized a fashion show! It seemed like one of the only creative arts not being represented as art in the area. There has only been one so far. I'm now a co-op member at Art Works On Main (AWOM) – the downtown art gallery. So far, I only display my Brain Blankets there.

GypsyLuc: You had a pretty substantial commission for Snow Trails. Tell about that project. Did you learn anything from it? Would you do it again?

Kate: Snow Trails is a ski spot in the area. Someone from their ski shop connected with me through AWOM. She picked out a quantity of the styles she liked, and left the color choices to me (nice!). I gave her wholesale prices because of her bulk order, and so that the sale price in her shop would be feasible. The result was a very low hourly rate for my work, but it was guaranteed income at the time of delivery, and I couldn't pass on that. If my business grows and I'm overwhelmed with orders this year, I'd have to raise my prices. Otherwise, yeah, I'd do it again. And I did learn more about small business needs because of this order.

GypsyLuc: Your Landlord Poems intrigue me. What are they?

Kate: Poetry was my main focus for quite awhile. It was my focus in college. I got my first professional job and apartment after college and tried to keep writing seriously on my own to see where I could go with it. The novelty of sending a personal check to someone just to live where I did felt like I was mailing an award notice. I included a “congratulations” sticker, and a silly poem. It must have come from a combined feeling of rebelliousness, ridiculousness, and a desire to keep writing regularly, even if it was more cathartic that making a statement. I've continued writing a monthly poem since then, and I'm on my 3^rd landlord/landlady. My first landlord loved them. So far, I still have had no mention of them from my 2^nd and 3^rd. Eventually, I'd like to turn the collection into a book with illustrations.


GypsyLuc: What projects are you currently working on? (Poetry, music, visual art, other…)

Kate: Trance Scripts. This is an art exhibit currently on display at Kenosis Gallery for Experimental Art in Mansfield, run by Jason Kauffman and Jennifer Lucas. My goal was to make a series of 30 paintings (because 80 turned out to be too many for me within my deadline!) that were to be illustrations of semi-conscious ideas and images combined with language. Other pieces went into the show as well, but this was the main focus. Music has stagnated during the time I was taking to work on the paintings, and during hat season, so I hope to be writing some new music now. I have ideas for two albums. One will have a fairly mellow mood, the other will be more aggressive. Meanwhile, I just want to have new material to perform.

GypsyLuc: YelloWall Collective. What it is? Why does it exist? How did it come into being? What does it mean to you?

Kate: I was doing poetry and music, and wanted to do more with art, but hadn't been dedicating time to it. When I first got my loft, I had a vision of artists using the space to create. When a couple of friends mentioned having an interest in weekly art nights, I volunteered my space. The attendees have changed, numbers fluctuate, but friendships and connections remain. Mr. Luc Hargis is the member who instigates organization so that we have the name now (YelloWall Collective), a licensed Minister of Artistry, group art projects (a formal award-winner, and an incognito art-attack), a logo, and a website (www.yellowallcollective.blogspot.com)!


GypsyLuc: You seem to be leaving your fingerprints on a lot of things. How do you make it all happen?

Kate: I need lists to remember my ideas, and a calendar to schedule them. Plus family and friends to share some of the necessary things like expenses (just sharing resources on one meal makes more time for creative processes), encouragement, and feedback.


GypsyLuc: What are some creative things you have not tried - but want to experiment with?

Kate: If I tell you, you'll steal my idea! Actually, I do have some ideas for painting with a secret ingredient. Musically, I'm saving up for a vocal processor so my voice will have more instrumentation. Plus, I want to do more with a washboard.


GypsyLuc: Can you prognosticate for a moment? Pick a timeframe: a month, a year, 10 years from now. Where will Kate be & what will she be doing?

Kate: A year ago, I wouldn't have imagined that I'd have pulled off a solo exhibit of my paintings. I didn't have much of a collection of paintings then. Nor would I have imagined my current personal and business relationships. So whatever happens in the future will be a surprise, and I have no reason not to be hopeful of its positive progression.


GypsyLuc: Give me 5 random words - any 5 that pounce on you.

Kate: Cram. Argyle. Parade. Angle. Gurney.




GypsyLuc: Lastly, is there anything you have always wanted to say or put out there but never had the chance? Here it is…

Kate: I do tell people this, but I will say it here again because it's helped me to build many things. If what you want doesn't exist, create it.

Want to learn more about the Queen?
- Kate's Trance Scripts solo show is on display @ Kenosis (18 South Park Ave., Mansfield, OH) throughout the month of May

- To hear Kate's music, visit http://www.myspace.com/vokatemusica or look her up on iTunes

- Check out her Brain Blankets online at http://www.myspace.com/brainblankets or see them in person at the Mansfield Art Center (700 Marion Ave., Mansfield, OH), Art Works On Main (109 N. Main St., Mansfield, OH), The Guild gallery in Marion on Center St, and at Snow Trails in Mansfield on Possum Run Rd.

From: http://www.theartistsinterview.com/

Squids a Work of Art

The mystery surrounding the orange and black squid banners on utility poles around the city has been solved.

The banners got people talking and even following the arrows to see where they might lead -- and eventually the secret was out. After a story about the mysterious cephalopod signs ran Friday on BucyrusTelegraphForum.com, an online reader posted a link to a photo album on a MySpace profile entitled "Pole Project."

The MySpace page owner, John "GypsyLuc" Hargis, contacted the T-F and explained his project, adding that he also kept a blog on the subject.

"I was hoping for people's curiosity to be piqued, but I'm quite surprised that the idea actually took root as well as it did," Hargis said in an e-mail. "Too bad the mystery couldn't have lasted a little longer."

In the blog, Hargis said his first idea was to wrap poles from downtown leading to the Crawford County Fairgrounds, to signify the Bratwurst Festival's move

"There was a lot of negative chatter around town about the move and I wanted to make that physical connection between the two places -- show that even with a change of scenery and a different feel to it, it was still the Bratwurst Festival," he said.

Instead, Hargis gathered some bright orange fabric and several masked and hooded friends from the YelloWall Collective to decorate the community. The signs, placed along residential streets including Lucas, Oakwood and Clark, went up before Halloween.

The 34-year-old North Carolina native said he chose tentacled sea life to adorn his banners for a reason.

"I chose creatures with the capacity to grab, to hold, to manipulate, to work with their 'hands,' " he said. "We can dream and hope, but we must also put our hands to work to make things happen."

The sideways cephalopod arrows were meant to be fun -- to give the project a participatory feel.

"One could follow the arrows and see where they led," he explained. "There was no intentional rhyme or reason in the placement, so the randomness would take a follower wherever the arrows happened to direct."

Hargis, who moved to Bucyrus a year ago, thought the city could use a creative new art installation. He said the project wasn't meant to be malicious and there were "no aliens, occult members, a specific band, heroin users, al Qaida, gang ruffians or stupid kids involved in the process. It was simply an art project intended to pique curiosity, cause people to pause and take note and, hopefully, regain a sense of youthful wonder for a moment in time."

Bucyrus police Chief Ken Teets is relieved the mystery is solved.

"I'm glad it's benign, maybe a bit on the mischievous end," he said. "He got publicity and brought attention to his talents. Kudos to him."

Hargis wants to do more public art projects, including performances, an event with the Bratwurst Festival and a permanent installation -- and involve local schools and businesses along the way.

"We're living in tough times and things are changing all around us," he said. "I say let's embrace where we are and move forward from here. What good is a life if you're not living?"

Terricha Bradley • Telegraph-Forum

Bucyrus Officials Flummoxed by Signs

In a small city like Bucyrus, many people know each other. There are few secrets.

But there is one subject that has become a growing mystery in the city. What are all those unusual orange and black cloth banners on poles?

"It looks like a rooster to me," said Tori Robinson, tattoo artist at Image in Ink. "It's not like a prison tattoo or gang symbol we know of. I think it's kids being stupid."

The orange banners have black drawings of arrows above an oddly shaped figure resembling some type of squid. The signs, on residential streets including Lucas, Oakwood, and Clark, may have gone up around Halloween.

Robinson and her co-workers have no idea who could have posted them. She thinks it could be a band using a unique kind of publicity. City officials are clueless as to what the signs mean or who they represent.

Bucyrus Police Chief Ken Teets said the department hasn't received anonymous letters or phone calls regarding the signs and what they could mean.

"They've been up for a number of weeks, and we're hoping it's a benign situation," Teets said. "We don't have the authority to take them down unless they have a threatening message. "We just left them up hoping the purpose might come to light."

Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce Director Deb pinion wonders if the signs are a game or a prank. She noticed a sign on Mary Street on Oct. 23 as she walked in the neighborhood with her grandson.

"Once I saw that one, I started noticing other ones," Pinion said. "They're just odd and kind of unnerving. It's not a comfortable thing."

American Electric Power

spokesperson Shelly Clark said no signs are allowed on utility poles and reported that no AEP employee in Bucyrus saw any signs on poles Thursday afternoon.

Chief Teets encourages people with information on the signs to call the police department at 419-562-1006.

Kate Westfall - Loveland

Kate Westfall lived in Loveland from 2002 until moving back to her hometown of Mansfield, Ohio in 2005, however, her brief stay here proved she might have been the most creative person/s to ever hit town.

Person/s?

Yes.

She is an artist in the digital mediums, photographer, songwriter, composer, musician, and poet. It is her mastery of all these arts, and her uninhibited approach of melding her art and herself that sets her apart. She is her own best model and instrument, and reflects back to the world what she sees in a mirror. There is very deliberative method in her zaninesses.

Westfall’s ‘Vokate’ Fertile Fusion of Vocal Ideas

Kate Westfall is a familiar face in northern and central Ohio from her appearances as musician and poet. Her new album "Vokate" gathers a wide range of influences to create a lush new musical world. Almost all the sounds on the album are directly generated by Westfall, whether it be through singing words, non-verbal vocalizing, breathing, clapping, clicking or stomping.

A track such as "Global Emotion" combines a chanted rhythmic base, not unlike some of the experimental vocal pieces by American avant-garde composer Meredith Monk, with layers of swaying, harmonized melodies and interpolated stanzas of poetry, sounding in the distance, yet read in a completely unaffected manner. Westfall's voice is bluesy in inflection, yet carefully polished and controlled. Her songs tend to build in layers of sweet, ecstatic harmony over a syncopated pedal-point drone, giving them something of a worldbeat/Afropop feel.

Indeed, the international association is apparent, as Westfall's music isn't so much emerging from one place or style as it is an ocean touching upon the shores of many lands. The aquatic element is strong in "Mermaid," featuring a mysterious, Neptunian musical background to a poem from Westfall's chapbook, "Ladies of the Sea." The musical seascape sounds like a cross between The Doors' "Horse Latitudes" and English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams' choral setting of Shakespeare's "Full Fathom Five."

In the anxious but magical "Cloudstep," the main lyric is buried too deeply to discern a lot of the words, especially as another spoken layer covers it in places, and the wordless "background" vocals are front and center. But this all seems very intentional on Westfall's part, using the texts as springboards to creating a lush, seductive musical fabric that sweeps the listener away.

"Bucket A Water" is like a latter-day grandchild of a chain-gang work song, grown urbanized and sophisticated without forgetting its roots. Such skillful fusions provide considerable momentum throughout the album, though a sense of stasis can settle in on a longer track like "Please Don't," where the harmonic base never changes. Westfall can be obscure and remote in places, but it only adds to the mysterious allure of her music. She builds her world in loops and layers, pyramids of sounds and watery harmonies. Her vocal range is impressive, going from a throaty alto to a sweet soprano while at the same time freely traveling along the continuum from folk style to polished poise.

A little bit of distortion creeps into the recorded sound on a few tracks, with all the layering, looping and processing, but it's really remarkably clear for such intricate mixing of layers.

Mark Jordan - Mount Vernon News