Kate’s love for chiaroscuro and sepia tones and her reintroduction to Classical Realism led her to master photographer Edward Curtis and his Native Americans portraits. Of Mi’ Kmaq heritage, she has long had a passion for Native American cultures. Currently, Kate’s work consists of a composite portrayal of her influences and passions. Although her concentration continues to be renditions of Curtis’s portraits, she also enjoys painting contemporary portraits.
“I became fascinated by Curtis’s innate ability to capture the essence of his subjects. This is what most portraitists strive for but they are not always successful. Not only has his work helped restore Native American history, it has given us conception of their lives and stories. To me, this is what true Masters are able to do. Painting Curtis’s portraits have been rewarding spiritually, and carrying on this restoration has been an honor. I believe the true integrity of a portrait artist is a skilled rendition that captures the subject’s essence, spirit and story.”
Kate Cormier was born in Rutland, Vermont in 1972. Her gift for drawing was recognized early and she remained a serious art student throughout her building-block years. After graduating from Hoosick Falls Central School, where she was awarded the Carlton Reed Art Scholarship, she went on to study in a small Fine Arts program at the State University of New York at Brockport, where she received her Bachelors Degree in Studio Art and Art History in 1994. During these formative years, Kate discovered a predilection for realism, particularly portraiture. Most of her college work consisted of figurative themes. Along with her studio experience, she studied the Masters in her Art history courses, and this fueled her passion for Classical Realism which began to influence her style.
Over the past ten years, Kate has taken her expertise into the classroom, teaching basic and advanced techniques to middle students at a progressive school, and creating and teaching an art curriculum for an alternative high school program. After completing a mentorship with Portrait Artist Tess Brancato, who was an apprentice to renowned Portraitist Burt Silverman. In 2008 Kate began working professionally on her own.
