Katy Krantz is a visual artist working primarily with painting and ceramics.
year of birth: 1975
birthplace: Mount Holly, New Jersey, USA
current residence: Culver City, CA
been a working artist for about twenty five years
Where did it all begin?
My mom is an artist and was an art teacher. I grew up encouraged to draw and express myself creatively.
What is the worst advice you’ve heard?
A dealer once told me I should change my name.
Most beautiful moment during the creative process?
The best moments for me are when I surprise myself. My ceramic murals often entail a lot of planning, but I find that there is always room to improvise and it is in these spontaneous moments that breakthroughs happen.
What doesn’t inspire you?
American politics, tech, cars, nationalism, social media.
What are you proud of?
I am proud of my last project, “Beloved Community.” It’s a mural and mosaic project that takes up three sides of a former gun store in my neighborhood. I am proud that I was able to transform the building and I am also proud that I got over my fear of heights to do the painting! (laughs)
Who would you like to meet or who would you like to work with?
I would have loved to meet the Finnish ceramicist Rut Bryk. Oh, and Prince.
Favorite material?
Clay.
What would you have done, if not this?
Good question. I think ecologist, naturalist or witch.
When was your biggest moment of doubt?
Probably my first year of graduate school. I really felt that it was a fluke that I got in and that I didn’t deserve to be there. Graduate school ended up being a really rich experience but that first year was torture.
Who is your biggest supporter?
My family.
Favorite image?
This image shows me at around age 8 or 9 with my younger brother, mom and grandmother. I loved color as a kid (especially the color red) and I asked my family if we could celebrate a holiday I invented called Red Day. We wore all red clothes and ate red foods. I actually found the day quite magical.
What is to you, the most beautiful sentence?
“The function of art is to do more than tell it like it is – it’s to imagine what is possible.”
– bell hooks Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations, 2012
What do you still want to do?
Learn about ceramics and tile making traditions in other cultures. Exhibit my work abroad.
Where do you work?
makers over hun passie. 