Artist interview: Katie Gebely

Katie Gebely is an American abstract painter based in Chicago, IL. She creates geometric abstract paintings and line drawings and she shares a little bit of her process and inspiration in this interview. Her work reflects a sense of peace and is simply gorgeous. Find out more about her below.

When did you decide you wanted to be an artist?

I’ve always enjoyed creating things and making a mess. So when I applied that to making artwork, I was instantly hooked. In college especially, there was so much personal change and growth happening that I needed a place to spill things out a bit, so I started making art journals as a way to capture that period of time. I did a lot of writing along with mixed media, which created really gritty, but beautiful journal pages. From there I got more into painting, where I really found my niche and felt comfortable putting my artwork in a more public arena. I started putting my paintings in coffee shops, book stores and small galleries.

You create beautiful geometric abstract paintings and drawings. What inspires you to create them?

I love balancing abstract with clean/crisp lines. There is something about the contrast that really intrigues me. It’s actually a good reflection of who I am as a person: streamlined but also very open-minded and willing to push the boundaries a bit. A lot of my inspirations comes from living in the city as well as having spent a lot of time in nature. I really take time to observe the world around me and I think that permeates into how I approach life and my artwork.

How would you describe your creative style and process?

I would describe my style as refined, yet open. My most recent work is very clean and crisp, using a lot of simple lines and whitespace. My process is to keep things simple, yet intriguing. I use a lot of micron pens to make strong lines with a lot of contrast. Early in my art career, when I did more painting, I was definitely more messy and all over the place. Today I feel a lot more confident and focused.

How have you seen your art evolve over the years?

My art has certainly evolved over the years, just like I have! It’s amazing to look back at some of my old artwork and see how it’s changed. I can definitely see a lot of growth and loosening up in my work. I used to struggle a lot with knowing when a piece was done or feeling very restrained while making it, and now it’s become a lot easier to let loose and just create. In the last year or two, I’ve really streamlined my artwork, creating line drawings with micron pens and paper. With a recent cross-country move, I’ve wanted to clean up my style and really make it more minimalistic in an effort to declutter a bit. My line drawings have really been a reflection of that transition.

You’re going to be a mom soon. Has being pregnant changed your perspective on art and how much do you think becoming a mom will influence your work from?

Being pregnant has certainly shifted my routine a bit. I don’t think it’s changed my perspective on art, but rather it's made me think a lot about how I want to have artmaking and creativity available for our little girl. I think becoming a mom will only enhance my artwork and give me new inspiration. Though I do anticipate there will be many times when I’ll be too exhausted to make new work! That’s ok because I’m looking forward to putting my energy towards our little girl and building our family. I know that art and creativity is in our bones, so it will always be available to us!

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful art and your creative process with us, Katie.

See more of Katie's work and process here and find her on Instagram for daily doses of creativity and all around pretty pictures.

See Katie Gebely’s beautiful art and find out more about her in this interview