LXS Kate O’Hara

Botanica Obscura

illustrations by KATE O’HARA, Reno

February 25 – March 15, 2019

A freelance illustrator living in Reno, Kate O’Hara graduated from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. O’Hara has always been interested in art and illustration as a combination of fine and commercial art. Her artwork in Botanica Obscura is beautifully detailed, has conflicting undertones, and mainly focuses on the interaction of plants and animals in nature. O’Hara states; “My work is highly influenced by nature. I spend a lot of time hiking and camping around Reno and Tahoe, taking pictures of wildlife. These photos often serve as inspiration for my work.” O’Hara does not want to make work that is just pretty. She loves taking things that are dark and disturbing and making them beautiful.

Arts Journalist Stephen Hargadon defines her work; “A Kate O’Hara illustration invariably demands a second look. The thrill of the initial impression gives way to measured inspection. One peers in – or is pulled in – and begins to relish every remarkable detail. Her work is intricate, full of idiosyncratic motifs and odd juxtapositions. The images are bursting with wit and menace. They are, in the main, elaborately macabre. O’Hara acknowledges the influence of scientific illustrators such as John James Audubon and Ernst Haeckel. There is a touch of the anatomist’s precision about her work. It is as though she is mapping the human soul; illustrating our elusive thoughts and fears.”

Her work has been shown in numerous galleries and publications including Light Grey Art Lab in Minneapolis, MN; Lasting Dose Gallery in Reno; in Portland, OR at the Antler Gallery, Talon Gallery, and Nucleus Portland; and on WowxWow, an online gallery. In 2018, she created the poster for Reno’s Artown. O’Hara’s clients include Cirque Du Soleil, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, Brandever Strategy, Paramount and Protozoa Pictures, Pacific Life Insurance, Storey Publishing, Middlebury Magazine, Crabtree & Evelyn, Timber Press, Amber Lotus Publishing, Hasbro Toys, Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Macmillan Publishing, Texas Monthly, La Colombe Coffee Roasters, Aramark Education, University of Nevada, Reno News & Review and Popshot Magazine.

To learn more about Kate O’Hara or to purchase her work, go to https://www.kate-ohara.com.

 

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