“Resuscitation,” Oil and Acrylic on women’s clothing and accessories on wood.
The work of artist Kate Tova not only challenges the limits of painting but also its narrative possibilities. The California-based creator turns to a vibrant use of color and natural imagery to explore the contemporary concepts of femininity, identity, and power. While her work has long been defined as mixed media due to the sculptural quality of her canvases, even the materials that add texture to her pieces are full of meaning.
Tova’s creations mirror the evolution of one’s personality and relationship with the world across our lifetimes. Her paintings also collect memories in the form of photographs, studies, and sketches that shape the final result. Her textured pieces have a literal layer added to them, as Tova routinely works with clothes, accessories, and other items to push the message further.
Such a multifaceted body of work opens itself to a myriad of materials, which is why Tova has experimented with many mediums and painting surfaces, whether it’s acrylic, oil, various gels, micro balloons, wires, or broken dishes on surfaces such as table tops, laser cut wood, or books—all woven together in an effort to make us think about our place on Earth.
“At the heart of my work lies our connection with nature, where we fit within it, and how we impact it,” Tova tells My Modern Met. “With my art, I want to show how lucky we are to be alive in this moment and at this time in our planet’s history.” Read on for Kate Tova’s interview with My Modern Met.
“Deep Under,” Oil and Acrylic on men’s clothing.
How did your painting journey begin?
I was bored as a kid, which is a luxury these days: slow life, boring days, free time with nothing on the schedule. Some wonderful creative things come out of that. My family wasn’t rich enough to get me all the gadgets, but they had enough money to get me paints and paper. I almost died as a child, which made me appreciate the beauty of life early on. I was a mature kid with big dreams.
I painted during all my free time, which seemed lame to my friends who wanted to party non-stop. All I wanted was to create non-stop. I’ve always been kind of shy and quiet, but my art had a plan to take me to some wild places. I never thought I’d be brave enough to do guerrilla-style street art, go to fancy galas, and make gigantic paintings in my studio. Choosing to do art full-time is like going on the wildest ride at an amusement park and also building it as you ride—wild, crazy, terrifying fun.
“Unbreakable,” Oil and Acrylic on Broken cups and plates, forks, butter knives, spoons, table cloth, mounted on 36 inch wood table top.
What inspires your compositions and the themes you focus on?
At the heart of my work lies our connection with nature, where we fit within it, and how we impact it. With my art, I want to show how lucky we are to be alive in this moment and at this time in our planet’s history. Heaven is a place on Earth, as Belinda Carlisle famously sings. By saying that I’m inspired by nature, I also mean the universe, animals, and humans—all of us are nature with the same origin. I want to inspire people to protect and preserve the environment.
We could do so much good with our big brains and opposable thumbs. Disconnection is the problem. This is the most recent theme that I’m exploring. When we feel like we’re a part of nature, that we belong, we take care of it, and we’re kinder to our minds and bodies. In the modern, fast-paced world, we often disconnect. We don’t know where we belong, we abandon our bodies, and we give our busy minds no break. Connection with nature is healing, and I think we are just starting to understand it.
“Pastel Rose Glitch”
“Synesthesia Glitch,” oil and acrylic on canvas.
What does your creative process look like?
Walks in nature, reading, and traveling are the perfect trio for generating ideas. Once inspiration strikes, I turn to sketching and writing to give the concept shape. As Glennon Doyle insightfully notes, “before imagination becomes 3-dimensional, it usually needs to become 2-dimensional.” It’s impossible to keep all the ideas in my head.
When I feel stagnant, or my mind heads to dark places, intense workouts are my rescue. Sometimes, I need to twist my own arm to do it. A long hike or surfing are my top choices. Workouts and writing are a great recipe for clearing my mind because then I can get to painting and give it 100% of my focus. Then, the process flows, and painting truly feels like meditation. I do my best to tame the control freak inside me and let the painting be as free as it can possibly be.
“Trash Pansy,” Oil and Acrylic on 40 plastic bags, and fake eyelashes mounted on wood.
When and how did you begin integrating texture into your canvases?
I studied at a traditional art academy with strict rules. I was absolutely not allowed to use mixed media, bright colors, or even pure black paint. Breaking those rules felt rebellious and liberating. They were so hard to break that it took me years to just try. The move to New Orleans was a turning point. I was really inspired by the local culture, vibrancy, and all the bling of the carnivals. I started incorporating sequin fabric, glitter, and rhinestones and just having fun with the process. I’d leave my paintings under the rain, mix soil with paints, and make brushes out of plants. Nine years ago, I got on that experimenting train, and it has taken me to some amazing places.
After I moved to San Francisco, I started painting these radiating compositions I call Glitches that are bursting from a central point. They are all about energy. I experimented with different ways of expressing that energy visually. That’s when I started carving wood and making my artworks more sculptural.
“Another Love,” Oil and Acrylic on two books
Some of your pieces get their texture from accessories, clothing, and lingerie. Is there a message or intention behind this choice?
We get so much very short-lived pleasure from buying stuff. Though you’d never hear a good doctor recommending “retail therapy.” By incorporating those items, I explore that mysterious pleasure that drives us and how little the majority of us cares about the repercussions.
I think it’s insane how much fast fashion clothes and single-use plastic humans currently buy… mountains of it. Artists are producers, and I feel responsible for making eco-conscious decisions when choosing my materials: making canvases out of carved wood, discarded clothing, and unrecyclable plastic. I feel obligated to educate and send the right message to the public, to inspire. And the solution is not recycling—it’s reducing the production of plastic in the first place and consuming the least amount of single-use plastic possible. A part of me wants to go off the grid and just grow everything myself instead of buying berries and fruit wrapped in plastic. I’ve already started my vegetable garden to learn the basics!
“Courage Glitch,” mixed media on canvas.
Kate Tova and Toochi in the studio.
Is there a particular painting you’re more proud of, or that is your favorite?
I love the recent piece titled Resuscitation that I painted last summer at SVA residency in NYC. Manhattan was probably one of the best places to explore our connection/disconnection with nature. A few local women donated their no-longer-needed items to me. The artwork’s “canvas” is made out of clothing and accessories that one woman can wear at once. It’s a treasure hunt for the eyes of the viewer to find all the elements. Who would have thought that a high heel with straps would make a nice-looking plant? I painted plants going up her nose, resembling a breathing hospital tube as a metaphor that plants give us oxygen, without which our life would not be possible.
There is a new piece I just finished titled Human Nature that is basically a full-size portrait of that woman covered in plants, so I’m planning on pushing this idea further. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with painting wild humans covered in plants and flowers.
“Breathe,” 36×36, oil and acrylic on wood
“Overcoming,” Oil and acrylic on five dresses, bra, wig, tights, sunglasses, scrunchies, belt, hairbrush, earrings, cream, and brooch, mounted on wood.
For you as an artist, are there challenges to integrating sculptural elements—whether it’s a carved wood canvas or mixed media elements—into a painting?
Challenges make art fun. I love getting an unusual idea and then obsessing over how to bring it to life. I do a ton of tests with different media to figure out how they behave on various surfaces. The number of choices available to artists is incredibly overwhelming these days. Often, the best you can do is limit yourself and just use whatever you have lying around. The video of the making of Overcoming went viral with over 7 million views because people couldn’t believe that I’d be able to make anything decent out of a pile of clothes and other discarded stuff such as a wig, tights, a hairbrush, etc. Once the finished piece was revealed, I received a lot of emotional responses followed by hundreds of messages from people asking how I did that and saying it’s witchcraft.
Artist Kate Tova in front of “Rebirth Glitch.”
What do you hope people will take away from your art?
I want viewers to see that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Bringing your ideas to life—be it painting or solving the world’s pollution issues—requires determination. Both could require a fight, whether external or internal. Human nature is so complex. I hope my art will inspire people to reconnect with nature and protect our paradise—the planet Earth.