KATHRYN BLACKMUN was born in Chaguaramas, Trinidad, and lived in Washington D.C., Tennessee
and Ohio before her parents settled in the Los Angeles area. Interested in art from an early age, Kathryn
attended the University of California at Irvine as a Fine Arts major, studying with such icons as Ed Moses,
John Mason and Vija Celmins. A few years after graduating with honors from UCI, she attended Art
Center College of Design in Pasadena as an illustration major. Kathryn made her living as an editorial
designer and illustrator in Los Angeles (clients in LA included the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, LA
Weekly, California Apparel News, Los Angeles Times and Animation Magazine), winning a Maggie
award, a Society of Newspaper Designers illustration award, and was a frequent exhibitor in the Society
of Illustrators LA shows. Then came her move in 2004 to Santa Fe, where a casual functional pottery
class turned into an obsession. Kathryn currently lives with her dog and cats, and hopes to return to
painting and printmaking eventually as well as continuing to explore the possibilities of ceramics and
digital photography. She has had 3 one-person shows in Santa Fe, as well as had work represented in
other shows in the state. She is also available for freelance print design and illustration.
Kathryn does mainly hand-built functional ware, and lately has added painting with underglazes to her
repertoire. “I try for an organic feel, and allow the serendipity of the clay and glazes to be as much in
evidence as the hand of the potter. I enjoy making anything functional that’s just slightly off, useful but
one-of-a-kind, not what you expect from a bowl or pitcher. If I paint something on a plate, I aim for the
whimsical. Is it functional or funky? Is it art? Don’t worry, just enjoy!”
