Human Nature: Katie Costa and Noah Chavkin

Katie Costa lives and works in Portland, OR. She began her art career later in life after working in corporate business environments for fifteen years. Her interest in economics, data, and business development turned into an obsession with the patterns and inner workings of society, culture, and nature. Costa’s paintings investigate how memory and emotion frame our perception of place. Places are sites inhabited by the spirit of the people and carry the residue of undocumented moments. Her abstracted landscape paintings are assembled from memory of places that she has traveled to. Recent work has been constructed using intuition and chance. A framework of lines and shapes build a structure, and the color alludes to a specific mood and memory. This method allows unconscious thoughts to come out through symbolic shapes. Recognition of symbols allows her to unearth the meaning behind the mythology through research, often unveiling a dialogue about spirituality. Exploration of these vibrant and mysterious places are a reminder that none of us are alone in our pursuits, nor are we the first to explore any location. Although the physical landscape may not remain the same, the memories and emotions attached to that space are timeless. Costa has shown work at Sugar Cube Gallery, Littman + White, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at PSU in Portland, OR, and Attic Gallery in Camas, WA.

www.kaitlincosta.com
On Instagram @katie_costa_studio

Noah Chavkin is an artist and designer whose work focuses on themes of humanity and pop culture. Typically working from memory, Chavkin has been building and refining his personal style for the past 4 years. Accessibility is the most important thing in Chavkin’s practice, as he feels that most of the time art puts the viewer in an exclusionary box. Chavkin attempts to make his work accessible by using a variety of colors and shapes to create bold and minimal compositions that are seemingly easy to understand while still making complicated and professional moves. He is incredibly attracted to the relationship between shape and color and utilizes both in order to create depth and space. His style is based on relationships with folk art, pop art, tattoo culture, and a combination of cubism and minimalism. He is highly inspired and informed by traditional Mexican and Meso-American art as well as the art of Keith Haring, Fernand Leger, Tarsila do Amaral, Nina Chanel Abney, Joan Cornella, and Pablo Picasso amongst others. Chavkin’s art often relies heavily on the use of symbolism and cubism, combined with bright colors and playful motifs to evoke joy and happiness. His pieces are more often nostalgic and his goal is to provoke a pleasant nostalgia in his viewers. Chavkin strongly believes in promoting art appreciation and education amongst youth. His work has been shown in the Littman Gallery, The OCAC Art Gallery, the Sugar Cube Gallery, and the MK Gallery. 

noahchavkin.com
On Instagram @noahchavkin