Kat Houseman: The Wilds of Dedication

Artist Statement

What is it to be dedicated? Dedicated to the pursuit of art. To keep working regardless of doubt. To know that every piece you create is a stepping stone to the next piece. To be dedicated is to have hope in your pursuits. All you can do is try.

Use miles of canvas, gallons of paint and endless hours. Art is work. A never ending experiment with room for improvement. It can bring so much Joy and so much frustration and I love it.

“Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment” – Claude Monet

Exhibit Artwork

All work included in the exhibits is available for sale unless otherwise noted. Purchasing a piece of original artwork directly supports local artists and helps to sustain the Jansen Art Center. If you’re interested in a piece, please email [email protected] or visit our Gallery Shop. 

Kat Houseman: The Wilds of Dedication

Artist Bio

Kat Houseman has been actively pursuing art for over 20 years. She began her love of art in Great Falls Montana. Her mother often set up watercolors for the kids to play with and coloring books were a must have! Every chance she could she would check out the “How to Draw” books from the school library. Her first oils and easel belonged to her grandmother who passed at an early age. 

Kat’s hometown is considered the “western art capital” home to the iconic western artist Charles M Russell. His home, studio and museum offered endless inspiration as a young person. And the annual Auction and Show helped solidify Kat’s desire to pursue art as a career. While cowboys were often the theme, Kat was drawn to the cows, horses and wildlife often depicted in “western art”. In 2001 Kat attended Montana State University and received her BFA in Fine arts with a focus in painting. Art school was an interesting experience that broadened her approach. The university in Bozeman was a contemporary school with an emphasis on abstract and intuitive work. She continued to pursue representational subjects, and began to focus on birds and the abstraction of backgrounds.

Fifteen years ago Kat and her husband Corey Urlacher (also an artist) moved to Washington. Once settled in Bellingham they quickly joined a studio and got to know the arts community there and in Seattle. In the early years in Washington they would pack up their older S-10 pickup and drive to art festivals throughout the western half of the country. Selling art directly and meeting so many talented folks. Adventuring between creating new original pieces. Kat loves the idea of seeing each brushstroke and the process, and so creates work as small as 3″x3″ up to 4’x5′. The work can be described as bold, colorful and impressionistic.

These years spent traveling solidified her idea of being a “Wildlife Artist” especially after years of visiting Jackson WY and the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Bob Kuhn and of course Carl Rungus are absolute inspirations to her and so many others. Over the last several years she gathered gallery connections and dedicates her time to supplying them with paintings. And as often as possible participates in events and museum fundraisers.

Western wildlife will always be her first love. Birds and domestic animals are a joy to paint, and most recently landscapes. Kat continues to work towards being a better artist and pursuing new venues.

“Try to forget what object you have before you – a tree, a house, a field, or whatever. Merely think, “Here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow,’ and paint it. – Claude Monet

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