Although trained as a computer scientist, Kat’s first passion into art education began in earnest after her wedding in the Vatican, when she and her husband traversed Europe’s museums while also following in Van Gogh’s footsteps.
Kat earned a graduate certificate in Visual Arts from Harvard University; still, she continues her life-long art studies. She feels indebted to acclaimed artist mentors Katherine Chang Liu and Frank O’Cain. Chang Liu immediately noticed Kat’s unique style and aptitude with the figure and encouraged those strengths. O’Cain studied under Vaclav Vytacil, who also mentored Louise Bourgeois, Willem de Kooning and Robert Rauschenberg. Kat learned to see more abstractly from O’Cain. She also has been influenced by Cezanne’s complex compositions, the color theories by Yale University’s Josef Albers, and the purposeful line-work of Rembrandt.
In 2013, she founded the Northeast Art Workshop Retreats, the region’s only art center hosting exclusively internationally-acclaimed artist Instructors. Students would often exclaim their degree of learning at these retreats exceeded their BFA and/or MFA education. Now on hiatus due to health reasons, the center was a ‘think-tank’ where like-minded artists were free to experiment and grow in a supportive environment. During its last season, Kat launched a tuition-free program just for seniors and another for teens.
Kat has been showing and selling her work since 2016 in juried shows, including national and international competitions and numerous galleries in Manhattan, Boston, and around Cape Ann. She has won awards at both local and international levels. Kat is a recent finalist of an eight artist show at the Attleboro Arts Museum. Her art was featured in Art New England’s June 2016 issue and Artscope (November ’19).
Her inspirations honor the human condition, the frailty of life, and the love that prevails. Kat works in a multi-layered and archival manner using the mediums of oils and encaustic. She enjoys utilizing her computer science skills for the ‘de-bugging’ of pictorial and compositional problems.
Of her artwork, Kat says, “When hard times come, and the world is in disarray, I wonder how I can make a difference through art. I have chosen to depict feelings of peace and goodness as we all eventually need these essentials in life. If I can provide even the slightest bit of wonder and joy through my paintings, then my mission is in part accomplished.”
Currently, she serves on the board for the Experimental Group of Rockport and is an active member of the National Association of Women Artists and Rocky Neck Art Colony (Gloucester, MA).
Kat works in a 1000 square-foot climate-controlled yurt studio and resides in Manchester, MA, with her husband and two sons (the youngest, named Theo Vincent, after the Van Gogh brothers).
Her artist website is katmasella.com and her Instagram account is kat_masella_art
Artist Statement:
For my current work, I honor and empathize with the human experience, the fragility of life, and the love that often prevails. I contemplate how we can embrace every moment we have in this short life and make the best of it.
Sketches both from observations and memory inform my work as I empathize with the human condition. Working with layers of mixed media, including oil, wax, and marble dust, my process becomes an adventure and a deep dive into the subconscious. Often I begin with intuition or automaticity, but analysis and problem-solving also become critical for my intentions of a unified expression.
When hard times come, can art make a difference? If my work can provoke reflection, cherishing life and humanity, I am grateful.