-Katherine Thomas-
Art, in its various forms, allows us to find ourselves and lose ourselves simultaneously. Art has always allowed me to express my emotions, distract myself, and engage with my creative side. I grew up doodling dragons with my dad and beloved Peanuts characters, like Linus and Lucy, with my mom. As a child, my parents both encouraged me to cultivate my love of art. In my household, if there was a piece of scrap paper, list, or even a napkin laying around, you’d find a series of my doodles on them. My mum would purchase for me endless amounts of sketchbooks, charcoal pencils, watercolor paints, and art kits in an attempt satiate my ever-growing hunger to be creative and experiment. When I was in high school, I started a not-for-profit company, Kate T’s Prints. I sold my artwork and donated the proceeds to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation: a charity that is near and dear to my heart because they are dedicated to cleaning up our polluted Chesapeake Bay.
I am currently in my fourth year (senior) at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. I am majoring in Honours Biology. It has proven to be a very challenging and rewarding academic four years. As someone who has a passion for science, art, and fashion, I am always thinking of ways to fuse the three, particularly because it is rather difficult to make time for art with a heavy academic workload. However, I frequently pilfer some time from my hectic schedule to nurture my appetite for creativity. I was able to take an Art History class my first year, which St. Andrew’s is well-known for, and learned a great deal while fulfilling my appetite for art history.
I was fortunate enough to participate in student-run art exhibition for charity: SENSE. It is a provocative, contemporary art experience that focuses on the five senses: sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch, as they are fundamental in informing us about the world around us. After I showcased my piece Ginger Redux (pictured above), I decided to be a part of this showcase in another capacity in addition to submission of a piece of my artwork.
The next year, 2017, I was appointed as Head of Graphic Design. For that show, I submitted three additional pieces of art work; however, they were on a different medium than the previous year.
I developed an interest in digital and graphic design in high school. I took two courses that enabled me to have a solid foundation with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Since then, I have taught myself the more sophisticated features of photoshop and illustrator. I am currently the Head of Web Design for Sitara*, an Asian-fusion charity fashion show at the University of St. Andrews.
In addition to graphic design, I also enjoy photography and fashion. Through the encouragement of friends, I have started to build my portfolio. I have photographed large events at St. Andrews (e.g. the Kate Kennedy Club’s May Ball). This photograph was published in The Saint Magazine, our University publication.
Another fun and creative way for me to incorporate my love of art is through fashion. I can be creative through my clothes and fashion drawings. When we make time to feed our passions, we become more fulfilled in life. I have been very fortunate to combine my love of art (in various mediums) and my love of science whilst at Uni. Of course, I wish I had more time to feed these passions, however, my participation in various societies, clubs, and committees have allowed me the freedom to explore my creativity in a myriad of ways.
Creativity takes courage (particularly in the face of criticism) and makes the world seem brighter when you’ve created something that wasn’t there before…
Thank you Kate!
It is great to see that you express your creativity in so many different ways.
XOXO
Roberta