That’s our fabulous son! Niles, thanks for making me a better person and a mom❤️

I would like to celebrate Grandmothers Day My grandmother started painting when she was 40! Here we are in 1998 showing together at the Ft Edward Art Center. I think she would be happy and proud to see that I’m still an artist today💙💙🌳💚🌳 @markelfinearts

Wow! I am so happy! Thank you Dan Cameron @djbc1956 for the insightful and thoughtful review. As an artist to have someone actually SEE your work, and write about is all you can ask. There is one more week to see the show at Markel Fine Arts. @markelfinearts

What a bunch of posers! Untitled for now I think… WIP Monday studio work 30x23” watercolor

A big thank you to @flinngallery_greenwich for the chance to show once again in their beautiful gallery. A remarkable non-profit art space with wonderful curators and programming! Thank you Kirsten and Isabelle for including me in Wild Leaves. @flinngallery_greenwich

• In a series of short conversations I ask an artist two questions about their work and process. KATIE DEGROOT MH: In your artist statement you write that branches are a starting point for your compositions, but you’re more interested in the contemporary concerns of painting than in realistic representation. How do broken limbs serve as your inspiration, and why do they interest you more than, say, trees or flowers? KDG: The branches I paint offer me the chance to consider many things while painting them. As my “muses” they become characters, interacting between themselves in situational still lives with references to art history and personal relationships. Then there are the incredible textures and colors that they arrive with in my studio when just freshly acquired from the woods, colors that change as they age. In fact I have had some tree limbs in my studio for years. They allow me a starting point that is both familiar and ever evolving. MH: Your medium is watercolor, but you state that you’re not a watercolorist. I think this distinction is recognized by most artists: our medium is the vehicle through which we explore an object, idea, or form. At the same time, it’s generally agreed that watercolor is the most difficult medium to master. Why this choice? KDG: I have been painting with watercolors for over 25 years. I started at Yaddo after I became frustrated with how long my oil paintings took to dry, given the short time I was going to be in residency. I have not worked in oil since, though I do miss it a bit sometimes. On the painting material hierarchy scale, watercolor seems to be considered a less serious material than oil or acrylic paint, perhaps a reflection of the amount of pretty terrible watercolor paintings out there. Because I have never taken a watercolor course, I am not invested in following rules when it comes to technique. Burchfield painted using watercolor and opaque watercolor, and so do I. Luckily no one told me it was the most difficult material to master! @katiedegroot @markelfinearts “Katie DeGroot: The Arboreal Life” is currently showing at Markel Fine Arts in NYC through May 9th. (cont. in comments)

It was a nice turnout for the Artist Talk for Wild Leaves. The artists from discussed their creative practices, the inspiration for their work, and unique approaches to art making. Curated by Kirsten Pitts and Isabelle Schiavi. Yura Adams Katie DeGroot Maggie Nowinski Jacqueline Qiu Reminder: Tax Free Day, Thursday, April 23, 10am - 8pm. @yuradams @katiedegroot @maggienow #jacquelineqiu @isabelle.schiavi #wildleaves

@katiedegroot shares how she picks her muses and her approach to using watercolor. Stop by her show “The Arboreal Life” through May 9th at 179 10th Avenue. #watercolor #chelseagalleries #markelfinearts #contemporaryartist #fineart

Artist talk this weekend: Sun, April 19th, 2pm Yura Adams, Katie DeGroot, Maggie Nowinski & Jacqueline Qiu The artists from Wild Leaves will discuss their creative practices, the inspiration for their work, and unique approaches to art making. Curated by Kirsten Pitts and Isabelle Schiavi. Open to all, no registration necessary Get Ready for TAX FREE DAY on all art purchases: Thursday April 23rd 10 – 8pm only! @flinngallery_greenwich @gwlibrary @isabelle.schiavi @yuradams @katiedegroot @maggienow #jacquelineqiu #artisttalk

@katiedegroot at her wonderful show @markelfinearts @kathrynmarkel . 179 10th Ave, NYC. through May 9th. Also a shout out to Kathryn and her galleries.

Tomorrow, that would be Thursday, is the day. The time is 6-8 pm. Please join me for a toast to the trees. 💚🌳💚 179 10th Ave. NYC NY…………. @markelfinearts

On View: Katie DeGroot @katiedegroot paints trees as individuals. Each is marked with scars, growths, knots, and kinks, revealing their uniqueness and individual histories. In the artist’s own words, “Trees grow to survive, they adapt to their given environment, producing oddly shaped limbs as they become contortionists to get to sunlight…They grow in context to each other and their neighbors, adapting as best they can to the situation they find themselves in. In many ways, they are similar to us, part of a larger community.” DeGroot anthropomorphizes her muses, imagining them in scenes as families, couples, cocktail parties, and individually as portraits. #chelseagalleries #katiedegroot #markelfinearts #chelseagalleries #watercolor #onview #openingreception #onviewnyc