When Katie Todd moved into a new house and needed something for the walls, she began painting abstract landscapes. “I like to think of them as splashes of color that give you something interesting to look at on your walls,” she says.
After graduating from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., with a degree in psychology and a minor in studio art, Todd, 33, taught English in Japan for five years. She’s also been a Pilates instructor and worked in an art museum. “That was one of my favorite jobs,” she says. “It was wonderful to work with art all day.”
In 2000, Todd moved from Toledo, Ohio, to Portland, where she paints in a converted three-car garage behind her house. Her 3-year-old daughter, who has her own set of paints and canvases, often accompanies her. “I like working with color and composition,” she says. “These abstract landscapes give me a chance to experiment with that by seeing, for example, how dark I can make water.”
Sea Air (above), painted with acrylics, is a part of a series that highlights Todd’s interest in painting horizons. “I find horizons to be calming,” she says. “I like the feeling of space, the way that a horizon is flat and open, and the feeling you have when you look into the horizon.” The 30-inch by 40-inch painting costs $395 and, like the rest of the paintings in the series, is framed in reclaimed wood.
Contact Katie Todd at 503-239-6041 or send her an e-mail at [email protected]. You can also visit her website, katietoddart.com. Her abstract landscapes are being shown at ECOpdx (2287 N. Interstate Ave., 503- 287-8181) in Portland.
