Crochet Painter – Katika Art Interview

Today I have something entirely different to share with you. I have found such a fantastic artist on Instagram. Her name is Katika, and she creates Crochet Paintings.

I have never seen anything like this before; I was completely blown away! And of course, I had many questions. Lucky for me, Katika agreed to do an interview with me.

Katika is a contemporary artist who crochets pictures and art objects. She has been creating art for many years, and for the last three, she has been teaching people a new art language. On Patreon, you can receive new, unique knowledge and navigate the waters of a new art technique, together with her. Check it out!

She was born in Hungary in 1989. Katika works primarily in the field of fiber art, looking into themes of human attachment, mysterious inner workings of individual and collective memory, cultural icons, and their impact on pop culture, religion, and sex.

She graduated from Ural State University of Architecture and Art (2015).

Katika has had solo, and group shows both nationally and internationally. Among the selected shows is a show in Tokyo, Japan – Hitomaruichi Gallery (2014) , shows in Yekaterinburg, Russia – Gallery of Modern Art (2012 and 2017), and more.

The most prominent among the group shows are a SCOPE Miami Beach (2019), – two shows in Australia – The William Street Gallery (2016 and 2017).

You can find Katika’s work in several private collections in the USA, Italy, Japan, Australia, and other countries. Her art was used for the Russian TV series “Method” and as a design for an indie band’s album cover.

She has contributed to charity events and collaborated with other artists.

Since she started working with yarn, her own art language aspires to do even more personal projects, based on the careful, introspective approach and post-modern interpretations of iconic images.

Read her inspiring interview below, and prepare to be amazed by her art.

1. How did it all begin? Tell us your story.

I have been drawing and crocheting since early childhood, the former was more of a passion and calling, and the latter was my hobby. About seven years ago, I decided to try and combine them into one so I could express myself artistically while indulging in the calming, meditative act of crocheting.

I wasn’t great at it right away – I discovered that my art skills, developed over the 12 years of art education, didn’t just automatically transfer into fiber art. Proportions were a bit off, and I found out I couldn’t correct much the further I went into a project. Oil painting and drawing allow artists much more freedom, they are more forgiving as art media. My yarn paintings, as I sometimes call them, are exactly the opposite – yarns are rigid and raw in a way, but I love them for these qualities since they can offer a lot in terms of making and presenting an artwork. They are also soft and warm.

2. What inspires you?

My sources of inspiration are numerous and varied, but probably not at all different from others’. I’m often inspired by other people, including those I know in real life and people in general. Seeing someone stylish and unusual while walking in a crowd of people can give me an idea of an artwork.

Other artists and their art are hugely inspiring as well, so I try going to art shows and browsing Instagram as often as possible. Seeing art created by other is important and inspirational for me in two ways: firstly, seeing creativity, beauty, and boldness in other’s art gives me joy, and secondly, it makes me a bit envious in a good way – it encourages me to do things that are as creative, beautiful, and bold, to be just as good (or, in some way, even better in some aspects) as they are.

3. How does your everyday look like?

Just like all the other days! I usually wake up, stare in horror at my bed hair in the bathroom mirror, drink coffee, sit down and work for about 10 hours, finish working, stand up, stretch my limbs, and go to sleep. This is honestly how majority of my days go: when I have to prior engagements, I just sit and work, be it crocheting, preparing yarn, sketching, editing videos, etc., and usually, this process is self-fueling – the longer I work the deeper my excitement and the clearer my ideas are.

4. How do you create your art? Do you make a pattern first, or do you do it free hand?

I do neither, preferring something in between. While in the preparation stage, I always work on sketches to lay out the future piece composition and pick the color scheme. When I have the final sketch on which the artwork will be based, I begin crocheting the piece, trying my best to approximate colorful shapes while free-form crocheting them. So I have no patterns and the process is not completely free hand.

5. What is your favorite yarn?

I love 100% wool. During the last couple of years I’ve transitioned from ordering all yarn pre-dyed to almost always ordering undyed wool and dyeing it myself. In the last year, I also purchased a spinning wheel. When I have enough time, I spin my own yarn and afterwards dye it. This is the yarn I love the most, because creating the material allows me to play with thread thickness and texture, not just its color, and the whole process can be so much fun!

6. Where do you sell your art? How can people find you?

I used to sell all my art by myself, on my social media, but now, CAMP gallery manages my sales for me, thankfully! Some customers contact me directly on Instagram and other social media if they want to fill in a custom order. By the way, your audience members are welcome to do so if they are interested in custom orders, ha-ha! People usually find me on Instagram or through the word of mouth, which is especially flattering.

People can find me there:

Artsy: https://www.artsy.net/artist/katika

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/katikaart

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katikaart/

I am so grateful to be able to interview the most astonishing people in our niche.

Katika really has a unique technique, and her art is mesmerizing. I am sure I will be ordering a custom-made photo of my kids from her sometime in the future.

Did you fell in love with her art too? Please share it with me in the comments below.

Have a beautiful day, and enjoy crocheting.

Katja