ArtistsNetwork.com 27Te a m Up
KATHERINE CHANG LIU: In 2017, having
been working with galleries all of my art life
(since 1978), I wanted to take a time-out. As
sales were no longer my most important
goal, I wanted to do something else. When
I fi rst started out in Roanoke, Va., three very
accomplished women artists—Vera
Dickerson, Joni Pienkowski and Nancy
Dalstrom—asked me if I’d like to join their
group. As a team, on the merit of their
established careers, we were able to get
funding not only from the Virginia
Commission of Arts and Humanities, but
also from the National Endowment for the
Arts. For those grants, we worked together
toward the goal of a traveling exhibition,
and we had so much fun along the way.
I learned so much from them.
Now, 40 years later, I’d like to
participate again in a team effort to
exhibit—and have some fun along the
way. So, in 2019, I’ll be involved in two
such efforts. The first is with my longtime
friend, Hiroko Yoshimoto, to work as a
“collective” under one theme. There may
even be pieces on which we work
together. We’ve already been meeting
for lunch, as we live only 35 minutes
apart. We’ve had a great time working
and planning this exhibit, aiming for an
opening in 2020.
Another project I’m doing involves six
other abstract painters. These are
artists from across the country, several
of whom have done work I’ve long
admired. Our goal is to exhibit together
in museum venues. So far, we’re still in
the formation stage, but we already
have a website: abstraction21c.com.
The next step for this will be critical
reviews and exhibition catalogs.Find Balance
KATHLEEN CONOVER “Balance” is the
code word for my artistic goal-setting.
The “administrivia” of being a
professional artist—teaching, gallery
ownership, exhibition and competition
entry, etc.—can bulldoze over all
creative energy, if not checked. To
paint or draw daily is my primary goal.
Setting aside “playtime” a few weeks a
year is another. This year’s playtime
goal is to go large—to get out the
acrylics and work on large, dynamic
non-objective compositions. To make
way for these objectives, one of my
business goals this past year was to
hire a bit of help—a young techie—and
she has been doing a great job.