About
Yvonne Kunz was born in 1978 in Great Falls, Montana, but moved frequently as a military child. She received her B.A in Visual Arts from the University of Washington and a M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction with K-12 Art Education certification from Montana State University. Kunz has been included in various exhibitions, including A Conversation through Space and Time at the Center for Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA. She received the Self-Directed Art Project grant ArtsWA’s Wellness, Art, and Military program in 2023. Kunz currently lives and works in Olympia, Washington.
Studio visit in person or on Zoom available! Contact me for scheduling.
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Artist Statement
My artistic practice consists of improvisational drawing and collage inspiring play and exploration. A daily drawing practice deepens my observational and representational skills, while providing source materials for my paintings. My encaustic practice is a longer, slower process where I paint, scrape, and fuse layers upon layers of wax, pigment, and damar resin.
I bury images in layers so they are unpacked by viewers with long, slow viewings. Working in mixed media in my drawings and collages -- stitching in paper, found text and images, researched primary sources -- metaphors and narratives surface in time. I want the viewer to search through the layers, to create associations as images are revealed.
Over the past twenty years, my voice has been consistent, honest, courageous, and, sometimes shy. It is an exploration of layers of my being: sexuality, motherhood, my personal belief system, "home". My art oscillates between realistic figurative imagery to symbolism of personal identity: aprons, IUDs, ladders, teeth, wishbones, and the Hail Mary. My art is an attempt to connect with a personal community that is fractured, with a sense of place that feels fleeting, and a family history which is slipping away.