Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Risor.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I am an illustrator and storyteller interested in preserving lesser known Texas folklore by creating work that presents a fantastical version of Texas heritage, one that includes all of the people, stories, and creatures that stereotypes and Hollywood forget.
I’ve always been interested in telling stories, and that interest has manifested in different ways throughout my life. I always have to have a project. I’ve also always loved fantasy and whimsy, but I when I looked around the European forests and castles of the fairy tales and fantasy books I was read didn’t match up at all with the Texas landscape around me. But, I have a great love of my homeland as well, having grown up very connected to nature and the land. My family owns a ranch, really just a big swatch of land, that has been in the family for over 100 years, and that land is an anchor connecting my immediate family and my ancestors. When I started learning more Texas and familial history, I thought, what would it be like if these fantasy elements were translated to Texas, aesthetics, culture, fauna and all? This idea has what’s really sparked my creative work in the past few years and has given me the creative drive to get serious about this creative career thing.
I also benefit from having an extremely supportive and creative family that has inspired and encouraged me throughout my life. Without their influence I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
Please tell us about your art.
I predominately make illustrations and comics. Recently, my medium has been mostly watercolor and ink, but I’m expanding to gouache and other mixed media and plan on making more digital art soon. I like to make pieces that give a sense of a larger story and larger world, that make the viewer want to know more. My main project is a comic called Langford Cove, which is set in a fantasy wild west. I started that project a year ago for school, but since then I fell in love with watercolor and got more serious about improving my skills, so I began working more visual development for the comic in those mediums so that I could go back to it with a new and improved style. So, a lot of my illustrations are related to Langford Cove, and have a Texas aesthetic. I like to hide little aesthetic references into them, like cactus, armadillos, jackelopes, and mesquite and cedar trees. I’m trying to make illustrations that feel the way that I feel about my heritage, my family, and the land.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
The hardest lesson I’ve had to learn as an artist is that I don’t need to do it “the right way”. The type of art, or subject matter that comes most naturally to you is going to make the best final product. Also, there is no good or bad, there’s only steps in your art journey that improves your skills. I wish I had learned sooner to not tie my self-esteem to the art I create – it doesn’t matter if it’s bad because you learned something and the next one that you do will be better. If you always make things with an intention to do better than the last, and you try all the time, then you will improve much more quickly. Passion is a good thing. But also take care of yourself.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can find me on most social media @creekkidart. My comic Langford Cove, can be read for free at https://tapas.io/series/Langsford-Cove. You can also view my portfolio at katierisor.myportfolio.com or you can purchase prints, stickers, and other handmade goods from my etsy, . I also table at local events like the Plano Art and Wine walk.
You can support my work by following me on any of these platforms and recommending my illustration services to any of your friends and colleagues.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katierisor.myportfolio.com/work
- Email: creekkidcommissions@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creekkidart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creekkidart/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/creekkidart/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Creekkidart
Image Credit:
Katie Risor
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