CARSON CITY – Reno artist Kate O’Hara need only to open her door and look to the mountains to find inspiration for her creations.
My work is highly influenced by nature,” she said. “I spend a lot of time hiking and camping around Reno and Tahoe, taking pictures of wildlife. These photos often serve as inspiration for my work.”
Image credit: Kate O’Hara, Robo Tortoise, archival print-colored pencil drawing with digital coloring.
O’Hara’s exhibit, “Botanica Obscura,” can be seen for the next three weeks at the Nevada Arts Council’s Legislative eXhibition Series (LXS) inside the Nevada Legislative Building. Throughout the 2019 Legislative session, the works of six Nevada artists is being featured. O’Hara is the second of the six artists and her display will remain in place through March 15.
A freelance illustrator by profession, O’Hara graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. She has long been interested in art and illustration as a combination of fine and commercial art. She said her artwork in this exhibit is beautifully detailed, has conflicting undertones and mainly focuses on the interaction of plants and animals in nature.
“A Kate O’Hara illustration invariably demands a second look,” said arts journalist Stephen Hargadon. “The thrill of the initial impression gives way to measured inspection. One peers in – or is pulled in – and begins to relish every remarkable detail. Her work is intricate, full of idiosyncratic motifs and odd juxtapositions. The images are bursting with wit and menace.”
“O’Hara’s work has been shown in numerous galleries. In 2018, she created the poster for Reno’s Artown – the city’s month-long celebration of the arts.
Managed by Nevada Arts Council, the Legislative eXhibition Series (LXS) Gallery space is located on the first floor across from the Caucus Deli in the Legislative Building, 401 South Carson Street, Carson City. Since 1985, LXS has displayed artwork by 140 Nevada’s visual artists during the biennial legislative session.
Other Nevada artists scheduled for exhibition during the session include:
Feb. 25-March 15: Kate O’Hara, Reno, “Botanica Obscura,” Illustration
March 18-April 5: Antonio Gomez, Las Vegas, “Desambiquación del Amor,” Mixed Media
April 80-26: Melissa Melero, Happy Valley, “Translating Paiute,”Mixed Media on Canvas
April 29-May 17: Lolita Develay, Las Vegas, “Facts and Figures,”Painting
May 20-June 7: Patricia Wallis, Reno, “Bits and Pieces of the Silver State,”Painting
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