Featured Student Artist | July 2024

Katie Barnes

Katie was most recently a student in “Winter Seed’s Promise,” offered at Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, NM, in the spring of 2024.

What did you enjoy about your experience in Winter Seed’s Promise?

Each of Laurie’s classes that I have been lucky to attend offers something new for me. Winter Seed’s Promise offered warmth and connection despite the snow outside, as well as a sense of excited anticipation for the up-and-coming spring season, full of promise and beginnings.

One of Laurie’s gifts for which I’m grateful is her generosity in teaching us the immense value of and how to create an intentional sacred space within which we can savor curiosity and welcome the muse. Learning and exploring within this context is liberating. As Laurie offered, sharing this sacred space with a circle of makers is particularly enriching. Within this context, I can let go of the “thinking mind” at times, fall into flow, enjoy the process, and see what arises.

What did you find difficult?

The biggest challenge for me is getting to the point at which I can quiet the inner critic. If only for a bit. But being in the company of Laurie and the other students makes this challenge somewhat easier.

Tell us a little bit about your practice as a maker. Where do you thrive?

I thrive in those moments when I can lose a sense of time and lose a sense of myself. When I can listen for and respect whatever comes without judgment. When I can do without thinking too much. My struggle in making art comes especially when my censor becomes overpowering. When I have an exhibition or when my work is going out into the world I tend to immediately question what the viewer would like to see and if will the work will be seen favorably. I must work diligently to turn off this part of my thought process. My censor is a relentless and active troublemaker and can only disappear when I quiet my brain and allow myself to experiment and play without judgment.

What is one intention you have as a maker this year?

My intention for this year is to explore in my sketchbooks more frequently and further into the themes of the unconscious, intuition, understanding, and wisdom which have manifested in the last few months. What this looks like, I don’t know yet, but I am open to finding out! I also want to continue to stretch outside my comfort zone at times and develop my understanding of my current maker’s voice.