CCA alumna Kate Klingbeil (BFA Printmaking 2012) was awarded an artist in residence at Kala Art Institute. While at California College of the Arts Klingbeil became enamored with the traditional print processes of stone lithography and monotype.

Coming from Milwaukee, it was at CCA she also discovered the magic of stop-motion animation and the similarities between the multiple of the print and the many frames within the moving image.

Interdisciplinary Approach

Through printing varied editions of lithographs, Klingbeil uses printmaking as a way to create frames within an animation, where each print is slightly different from the last. She also cuts apart her prints to make moveable puppets, thus opening up the possibilities of a gridlocked illustration on paper.

Through the combination of print, painting, animation, and sculpture, Klingbeil paints vivid and ephemeral scenes that emerge from her personal histories and daily encounters. The result is a curious blend of paying homage to the long-standing history of artistic practice, while simultaneously acknowledging the rapid evolution of an uncertain age.

Movement is a key component of the concept behind Kate's work, whether it be the rhythms of emotion, physical movement, or the changes occurring in our unfolding lives.

Horses have always been inseparable with Klingbeil's identity, and can be seen reoccurring throughout her prints and animations. She is currently working on an animation about traveling to Japan with CCA's Printmaking Program as well as preparing an animation about the inseparable female relationship with horses.

Community Involvement

After graduating, Klingbeil has spent as much time as possible continuing her exploration of stone lithography at Kala Art Institute's print studio. She has also found work assisting CCA alumnus Chris McNally in his screen-printing business, making hand-painted signs for local businesses, curating shows at local café Helloakland, and continues to voraciously investigate the intersection between printmaking and animation.

Following her residency, Klingbeil will continue as an intern within the Kala Art Institute community.