Katya

2011-09-27T10:35:00.001-07:00

If you got my card at the (e)merge art fair, thank you very much for visiting my website!

I am in the process of changing it over from a blog to a simple format which will eventually live at KatyaUsvitsky.com but in the meantime I want to share some amazing news, the work shown below will be in a show in Brooklyn opening on October 14 from 5:00 to 9:00 PM at Set gallery. If you're local, please stop by!

SET gallery presents MOVING FORWARD

Ed Herman Sculpture
Jason Reyen Painting & Objects
Mandy Morrison Video
Presenting DCA 2011 Grantee Katya Usvitsky Installation

October 12 – November 27, 2011
Opening Reception October 14 from 5:00 to 9:00 PM

287 3rd Avenue, btw President & Caroll Streets, Brooklyn
setgallery@gmail.com • 718-852-7609 • setgallery.org

2011-07-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some images I took over the weekend of my BAC grant project entitled NOthing.

2011-06-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

Please join me and 5 other artists for a Day of Fiber Workshops this Sunday June 12th at the Textile Arts Center. I will be teaching a 'Large Scale' knitting workshop using non-traditional materials. I've got some great things in store, including giant knitting needles and various 'yarns'. In addition there will be Sculptural Crochet, Wet and Wild Felting, Telephone: Exquisite Corpse and Free-Style Embroidery, Playing with Plastics, and Needle Felting.

If you think you would like to join, please sign up. We'd like to plan the materials and stations according to the number of people coming. You can use this link to sign up for the day, it's only $20!
Tell your friends! :)
____________________

PLAY: Day of Workshops
BROOKLYN LOCATION
code: PLAYWkshps-061211 / $20.00
1 Session(s)
Sun 1-5PM, June 12
____________________

I will also be doing a slideshow & talk including these wonderful artists during my workshop
Environmentally conscious product designer Christien Meindertsma
Austin TX based installation knitter Magda (KNITTA PLEASE) Sayeg
Polish born, Greenpoint based performance & installation crocheter Agata (OLEK) Oleksiak
New York based extreme knitter David Cole
Danish Fashion Designer Isabel Berglund
Koren based industrial designer Kwangho Lee

2011-05-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce that my soft sculpture will be on display at the Textile Arts Center this month!Play, curated by Joetta Maue
May 13-June 24, 2011

Opening | Friday, May 13, 8 - 11 PM
Artist Talk | Monday, June 13, 7 PM
Play workshop | Sunday, June 12, 1-5 PM

Textile Arts Center
505 Carroll St,
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Gallery hours are
Mon - Fri: 10 AM - 6 PM • Sat - Sun : 11 AM - 5 PM

NOthing 1

2010-12-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

On display at Assemble Gallery & Studio in Seattle WA in a group show, "This Will Be Our Year (Took a Long Time to Come)." January 14th, 2011 through February 8th, 2011. NOthing 1
Nylon & fiber fil
$1,000
2010

STATEMENT: I primarily use embroidery and knitting as three-dimensional image-making tools, although other fibers play a strong part in my art as well. Fiber work is a timeless forms of human expression with a hidden history. Long seen solely as utilitarian women’s work, it is once again making inroads into the gallery world. My art seeks to build on the work of past feminists and talk about the significance of femininity, family and tradition, while re-introducing fiber arts to the contemporary art realm. In this way, THIS WILL BE our year, for fiber art!

Drawing on Louise Bourgeois’ sewn assemblage sculptures, among other sources, I made this abstract piece using nylon stockings entitled 'NOthing' - referencing a certain female body part. My hope is to inspire a dialogue about the social ideals for women. Moreover, the shape further mimics a woman's own body as vessel. This hive like creation is part womb, part nest. The feeling it evokes can perhaps tell the viewer something about their own ideas on femininity.

NARS Open Studios

2010-05-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a big art whirl wind. I participated in the 3rd Annual NARS Foundation Open Studio event. I have to say I am still amazed at all the great work I saw from the other participants. Everything from metal work to weaving.

My studio space was shared with Jinkyung Chong whose work is quite similar to mine not only in subject matter but in aesthetic as well.

For everyone who stopped by, I want to extend a big thank you for your kind words and encouragement! Please add my email to your contacts and let's stay in touch.

LOST AT SEA

2010-04-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

This May I am participating in a group show entitled Lost at Sea at gallery hanahou. If you are in New York, please check it out. The gallery in a SoHo at 611 Broadway, no. 730.

For this show, I wanted to create something that challenged the notion of plush or toy art. I made endangered species trophy heads. It's part taxidermy, part toy, but also a serious look at decorative culture and the way in which we treat other living beings on earth, especially exotic ones.

Above is a shot with my 3 pieces 'Dumbo Squid', 'Narwhal', 'Angler Fish'. You can see more images from the show at this flickr link. All the pieces are for sale online here. Lastly, here is an article about the show from splicetoday.com, feacturing a quote from me.

ASSEMBLE GALLERY & STUDIO

2010-01-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

Check out hundred of photos from the exhibition here!!!

2009-12-02T12:56:00.001-08:00

The final piece in the gallery!

Finished piece, shot at the studio.

2009-11-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

Some exciting news: I have a solo show in Seattle, woo hoo! Please see the gallery website assembleshop.com for updates and sneak peek images. I'm so excited to see Seattle for the first time and have a chance to show my work. The wood works, embroideries and a brand new knitted bike sculpture will be on display.

Publicity

2009-07-20T08:06:00.001-07:00

Check out some press featuring Sean and myself. I'm both relieved and flattered that we were portrayed in such a positive light by Artforum. In addition, here is a more general piece on the whole experience: New York Times.

Giant Knitting Experiment

2009-06-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

I've got something exciting cooking up here, and it's going to be BIG! Got my giant knitting needles in the mail a few days ago and have been itching to try them out. Here is a preview of a new piece.

Fiber Arctic

2009-06-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

2009-06-09T09:01:00.001-07:00

For my Fiber Arctic piece I chose to focus on the narwhal, a whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. These particular whales are uniquely specialized Arctic predators and while populations seem stable, the narwhal has been deemed particularly vulnerable to climate change due to its narrow geographical range and specialized diet.

What drew me towards the creature specifically was its mysterious characteristics. Most people liken them to unicorns as mythical creatures, but they are, in fact, real and are in danger. The embroidery uses a fractured geometric pattern I sketched from a study of ice and water, and sets off the shape of the narwhal in negative space, suggesting, perhaps, that it may all too soon disappear.

Study for the Fiber Arctic, above.

Fiber Arctic

2009-06-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

The show opens at Schmancy on June 12, 2009, curated by Kristen Rask of Plush You.

FIGMENT

2009-06-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

Knitting for Montague Interview

2009-05-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

In preparation for Fiber Arctic on June 12, 2009, curator Kristen Rask asked me a few questions about my past work and the Montague Street project. The interview in up now on her blog PlushYou!

Knitting for Montague, part 2

2009-05-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

So many volunteers came out for the event!

Visit this link and use the password knitta to see a video of the installation.

Here is all the press we have gotten so far:
BROOKLYN PAPER
DESING TRUST FOR PURLIC SPACE
GOTHAMIST
NY TIMES BLOG
YOURNABE

There are also many more images by JONATHAN HOKKLO now on FLICKR please check them out!

Knitting for Montague

2009-04-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Just turned in my Montague Street Business Improvement District parking meter project. the BID partnered with Magda Sayeg, to do a temporary public art installation. Magda is a fiber artist and founder of Knitta Please, the guerilla knitting collective knittaplease.com. You can see I made some slight modifications, for the better I think.

reCYCLE - bicycle knitting project in progress

2009-04-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

Above image, thanks to Kristin Miller, is from the FIGMENT Festival on Governors Island (June 12-14, 09)
Creating ecologically sustainable art has never been more important than it is today. By retrofitting a vintage 1960s bicycle, I am demonstrating the joys of cycling and recycling, while letting the viewer experience the act of going green. My art form is responding to the given materials, creating a new vehicle of expression. I would like to show a wide audience that traditional forms of craft can be used in exciting and new ways. Knitting is big part of my life and a valuable art-making technique which has been passed down through many generations—yet another example of recycling. It is both empowering and meditative, much like bike-riding can be.

sketchbook project

2009-01-29T19:12:00.000-08:00

Sketchbook Project for the Art House Coop Gallery in Atlanta, GA - an embroidered & mixed media study into female stereotypes. For this particular one, the gallery sends you a blank sketchbook and you fill it with your art and send it back to them. All of the participants work then goes on a 6+ city tour across the US. What a great way to gain some exposure! This will be on view in Brooklyn on March 13, 2009, 7:00 - 10:00 PM at 3rd Ward, 195 Morgan Ave.

Matroshka Doll Print

2009-01-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

I turned this drawing of a traditional Matroshka Doll into a silk screening project and printed it onto a bag. Now I am beading the color onto the bag, slowly but surely it's coming along... very very slowly.Still working on this beading project when I have some free time.
I've added some embroidery to the face detail as well.

Tomorrow is the day

2009-01-08T12:10:00.001-08:00

Stitch Spectacular

postcards from the edge

2008-12-10T12:09:00.000-08:00

On January 10, 2009 I will have a piece in Postcards From the Edge - a show and sale of original, postcard-sized artworks on paper by established and emerging artists. The works are signed on the back and exhibited so that the artists' signatures cannot be seen. While buyers have a list of all participating artists, they don't know who created which piece until it is purchased and the signature is revealed. I will post the design after the show is closed.

Preview Party - Friday, January 9, 2009 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Your only chance to get a sneak peek at the entire show. Participating artists attend FREE! Additional guests can buy tickets at the door.

Benefit Sale -- ONE DAY ONLY!
Saturday, January 10, 2009 from 11:00 - 6:00
$5, suggested admission
Over 1,500 original postcard-sized works of art from wonderful artists like yourself! $75 EACH.
Buy 4 cards and get 1 free! First-come, first served.

stitch spectacular show in savannah

2008-12-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

Savannah here I come! Well maybe not me, but my work is coming. I just got word that the Stitch Spectacular show accepted my 'Self Portrait.' The premise is to showcase work that is not made from a kit or commercial pattern and is predominantly hand embroidered. The show is being held in Savannah and is juried by one of my favorite bloggers, Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge. I am pretty excited! The show opens January 9th, 2009 at Dimensions Gallery.

building frames

2008-11-10T08:09:00.001-08:00

My work is all about making things by hand, so it seems rather fitting that I build my own frames for my embroideries. A clean presentation of my work not only shows that this work is important to me but that it should be given the attention it deserves. Therefore, I spent the weekend with my friend Vanessa, cutting, sanding, gluing, and painting some custom frames for my two latest embroideries. Thank you SO MUCH for all your help and hard work Vanessa!

brodyr är trenden!

2008-11-04T13:25:00.000-08:00

One of my artworks is featured on a Swedish art website! The brief article feature is on this site boho.se. I was contacted by the sites creator/writer a long time ago and did an interview and it's finally up! Here is a rough translation below, and you can also see it here. I love that she says I'm frisky! The translation is kind of rough but I think you get the idea - she talks about a painting that I did as well where I actually cut the canvas and stitched it back together. Hey, it’s a start and really nice to get some recognition. I was very flattered that she chose to profile me.

“Embroidery is the trend!

Katya, an artist, Brooklyn New York. I met Katerina "Katya" Usvitsky in the park at Union Square on a rainy day in April this year. A frisky 27-year-old girl with curly brown hair, who loves art, and works as a graphic designer in midtown Manhattan. Her goal is to be able to work full time with art and develop her creative projects. A purposeful girl with her eye on the latest exhibitions in New York, London and other cities around the world. Katya works primarily with fabric, embroidery, knitting, wood and sometimes even paintings in acrylic. When we sat on the grass in the park she showed me her latest drawing made with black thread on silkscreen. I was extremely fascinated over the simplicity and yet was where an emotional depth. The picture is an image of experience to have a friend with a large tumor in surgery and is left behind with a large scar across her stomach. The portraits are also done in acrylic paint in large scar where Katy illustrating with a sharp jack in the canvas. Katy experimenting with thread and yarn, which is one of the hottest trends in New York right now and seems now to come to Sweden. usvitsky.blogspot.com.”

portrait of my grandmother

2008-11-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

Work in progress, check back for updates.
Black thread on sick screen fabric
Image approx 15" x 9"

make your own screen printing studio

2008-09-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

I made my own silk screening studio in the closet and I wanted to outline all of the steps on my blog - so that everyone can see how easy it is to do this yourself in your own home.

Essentially, screen printing is pretty easy to do anywhere you can have a dark room, so the first step would be to figure out that perfect place for your studio. I used to have mine in my bathroom, which worked out really well because it had a counter top and a closet where I kept my light sensitive screens until they dried. The obvious downsides include having a cluttered bathroom, and if you have a roommate or significant other, they may not be crazy about the idea. Which brings me to my new space - the "utility closet" in our apartment is PERFECT! I think it used to be a half bath at one point, but is now just a small closet with a tile floor. This works out really well for cleaning up any spills. I gave the room a face lift with some left over gray flat paint, just to give myself a clean slate to work with. Luckily, this room has some great shelves in it already, I highly recommend putting some up for inks and supplies that you may need at your fingertips.

Secondly, you will need some sort of a 'slop sink' to wash your screens out. I rode my bike to Lowe's, and wished we had a car for the first time since moving to Brooklyn. Oh well, I made it work. Just strapped that big old thing on the back of the bike and got a few approving honks on my way home.

SHOPPING LIST:
• American Shower & Bath Heavy Duty Utility Tub | $47.98
• 1 1/2" White Rubber Drain Stopper | $4.98
• 5 Gallon Bucket | $0.98
• Snap on Hose Coupling | $4.77
• Portable Dishwasher Faucet Aerator | $3.87

family portrait

2008-06-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

Family portrait from a photo that seems like it was take in another lifetime.
Black thread on sick screen fabric
Image approx 6" x 4"

t shirt screen printing

2008-05-25T14:47:00.003-07:00

Inspired by Bike Month and my own love of bicycles - as alternate transportation and for fun - I have decided to do a hand made t-shirt design to promote the 'green' effort. Above shows a drawing I did from a photo of one of my bikes. The process below; from photo to icon to the screen exposure, washing and finally printing!Illustrator translation into icon
Image approx 8.5" x 11"

portrait of sean and myself

2008-05-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

Above is a work I just completed using my 'dotted line' embroidery method, adding a little bit of color this time. I was feeling sort of nostalgic while doing this piece and it really reminded me of the 80's for some reason - like the cover design of a Trapper Keeper or the Saved by the Bell intro credits, so I wanted to bring out some of that feeling in the color choice I made.

Self portrait with Sean
Image approx 7" x 5"
Black & pink thread on sick screen fabric

self portrait

2008-04-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

Self portrait

8" x 8"
Brown thread on yellow fabric

back view, in progress

front view, in progress

post surgery portrait

2008-04-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine went through an ordeal with cancer about a year ago. She was only 27, and was diagnosed with a Schwannoma Tumor on her kidney. After a prolonged stay in the hospital, the tumor was removed and she is now recovering very well but the experience was a profound one for us both. I wanted this piece to be a quiet reflection on an experience which left her not only physically scarred but feeling completely vulnerable and totally exposed. I directed a photo shoot with Sarah and worked from it to create this image, using almost transparent fabric to mimic her own opacity. I plan to display this piece with both the front and back of the needle work in view as shown in the first image.

Image approx 8.5" x 11"
Black thread on silk screen fabric

portrait of sean

2008-04-02T11:01:00.001-07:00

Thread drawing of artists Sean Noyce. I feel this new form of mark making is opening me up to new ideas and larger projects. The next one I am going to do will be more involved.

hillary clinton

2008-04-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

A very exciting new direction is starting to take shape for me, here is an example of one of many new projects I am starting. This is an embroidery of Hillary Clinton, the original image appeared on the cover of Newsweek magazine (Feb 2008).

fingerless gloves knitting pattern

2008-03-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

I drew the pattern for these gloves using illustrator, it made it significantly easier to produce these and keep track of where I was in the process during the making. Take a look at the image below for the pattern.

pen and ink drawing on wood

2007-12-10T15:21:00.001-08:00

Ink on wood, approx 6" x 3.5"

There is just something so interesting about wood - the shapes and patterns in the grain are infinitely varied and unique. If I stare long enough at an the face of it I start outlining the pattern with my eyes, so in this exercise I wanted to embellish the pre-existing. See progression below.

maddie screen print

2007-12-10T15:16:00.003-08:00

Sinkscreen print on cardboard, 11" x 17"

Maddie is the subject of my first successful home silk screen project. I am very exited about this print because I recently created a printing studio for myself in the second bathroom. It was incredibly easy actually and has opened up so many door for creative projects for me.

For this particular print, I did a sketch and separated it in Photoshop into different color layers. Subsequently I created three templates and printed one on top of the other. The best thing about hand screen printing is that it creates individual images each time. The offset registration is my favorite part and makes this a very unique irreproducible image. I plan to continue with this idea and create a small book of individual images.

combining knitting and screen printing

2007-12-10T15:15:00.001-08:00

Knit yarn & Silkscreen on cardboard, 2.5" x 3.5

I'm playing around with knitting letterforms today. This is an idea that came to me recently, with the cold weather and holidays approaching. Through word association I wanted to incorporate these letter into a functional seasonal piece. I want to do an entire calendar of these one day.

2007-06-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

charcoal pencil, acrylic paint, yarn on cardboard, 6.5" x 11" (front + back)

2007-06-17T17:47:00.001-07:00

charcoal pencil, acrylic paint, yarn on cardboard, 7" x 11" (front + back)dsvs

2007-06-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

ink pen on wood, 3" (front + back)

2007-06-13T19:45:00.001-07:00

color pencil on wood, 4.25"

2007-06-13T19:40:00.001-07:00

gouache over color pencil on wood, 2" x 4"

2007-06-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

gouache on wood, 4”

2007-06-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

gouache on paper stationary, 3.5” x 2.5” (detail shown)

2007-06-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

gouache on paper, 5" x 7"

2007-03-05T20:07:00.001-08:00

gouache on paper, 5" x 7"