For its “Presence” holiday gift show, ArtRat Gallery is honored to host Kat Kallen.
A contemporary artist based here in Grand Rapids, Kat works primarily with mixed media on canvas and wood panels. Her work explores themes of faith, love and motherhood, often featuring religious figures like Mary and Jesus. Kat’s process includes layering torn paper, ink, paint, stenciling and gold leaf to create textured compositions that reflect her spiritual journey.
After raising her children, Kat transitioned into roles as a church planter and pastor, experiences that continue to shape her art.
She received awards and recognition this year in local exhibitions. A member of Grand Valley Artists, Kat’s pieces are part of numerous private collections and reflect her unique blend of faith and creative expression.
ArtRat’s “Presence” also features work by Michael Thoresen. In addition, we're showing original art from Sedgewina and Nancy Tobin as well as a cornucopia of art supplies, cozy fashions, kids’ stuff, bath and body products — plus ArtRat’s original character designs and logo wear!
Here’s a deeper look at Kat Kallen’s artistic vision and process.
The pieces you’ve included in “Presence” include many variations on the Madonna and Child. Besides exploring different artistic traditions, the pieces reference aspects of motherhood that Mary represents. What connection do you see between the religious motif and the connection between mothers and babies everywhere?
The Madonna and Child is a timeless image of love, tenderness and sacrifice, and it resonates deeply with me as a mother and an artist. In these pieces, I’m exploring not only the divine aspect of Mary but also the universal experience of motherhood — the joys, challenges and moments of profound connection between mothers and babies.
For me, the religious motif reflects both the sacredness of Mary’s story and the everyday endeavor of nurturing a child, something mothers across the world and throughout time can relate to. I’m especially interested in the space between a mother and her child when their cheeks touch. I capture those moments in my paintings.
Your work includes collage elements as well as a variety of media. What’s your process? How do you choose the techniques you use from painting to painting?
My process is very intuitive and layered. I start by creating the substrate, often tearing and assembling pieces of paper, pages and prints onto a canvas or wood panel. From there, I create images of Mary and Jesus sometimes based on iconography of the early church. I add symbolic elements like a crown of roses, Hebrew prayers, and scraps of interesting papers that I’ve collected. The layers of paint, ink, stenciling and gold leaf build the final piece.
Each painting feels like its own journey — I choose techniques based on what the image and the story seem to call for. The mixed media allows me to weave together texture, meaning and beauty in a unique way for each work.
