'Steampunk' Artist Crafts a Landscape of Cogs and Tentacles
BY MAX FREESE
A young woman with bright orange hair and glasses sits timidly in a large, oversized library chair. She is wearing a jacket with erratic markings and colors of black and orange. Lying next to her big chair is a portfolio with pieces of art with similar orange colors. Meet Katherine Bodner, 21, of Cambrook. Bodner graduated from Shade City Central High School and is a junior graphic design major at California University of Pennsylvania. However, ask her why she decided to go to Cal U, and she'll sheepishly grin and reply, "I don't know. I ask myself that same question every day." |
Despite not being exactly in love with her college of choice, she is passionate about what she loves most: art.
Bodner has no specific influences or favorite art or artists, she said. "I like everything," she said, "from Rembrandt to the latest thing." Bodner has three pieces of art in her portfolio that all share a common theme: man and machine. |
The first piece (that Bodner says she forgets the title of) was done with pastels and charcoals, she said. In the foreground is a young man with black sunglasses and a black suit. In the background there's an orange haze and within the haze are different kinds and sizes of cogs and clockwork. A term for this genre of art would be "steampunk."
The second piece, "Nerve Damage," is a pastel of hands interlocking. On parts of the hands, the veins and muscles pop out. Warm colors, such as red and orange, give the piece a fleshy look.
"It's all about the sense of touch," Bodner said.
"I used Da Vinci and my own hands for references," she said.
The third piece is untitled and unfinished.
"This one is about society," Bodner said, "and how society builds people into perfection."
The drawing in pastels features a Barbie doll. The Barbie's thick blonde hair turns into thick, tentacle-like wires. Circuits can be faintly seen in the loudly pink background.
Music is a secondary passion for Bodner. Her eye-catching jacket is actually a The Used jacket. The Used is an alternative/hardcore rock band that has been around since 2001. The Used are frequent acts of the Warped Tour, a music and extreme sports festival that Bodner said she attends every year.
In her free time, when she's not coming up with scenes of creepy biomachinery, Bodner said she enjoys outside activities, such as long walks and ATV rides.
Bodner said she doesn't remember when she first got into art, but she knows that from a young age she's been "always scribbling."
Max Freese is a junior and English major at Cal U. In his free time he likes to read and watch movies. You can find more of his work at his blog.
The second piece, "Nerve Damage," is a pastel of hands interlocking. On parts of the hands, the veins and muscles pop out. Warm colors, such as red and orange, give the piece a fleshy look.
"It's all about the sense of touch," Bodner said.
"I used Da Vinci and my own hands for references," she said.
The third piece is untitled and unfinished.
"This one is about society," Bodner said, "and how society builds people into perfection."
The drawing in pastels features a Barbie doll. The Barbie's thick blonde hair turns into thick, tentacle-like wires. Circuits can be faintly seen in the loudly pink background.
Music is a secondary passion for Bodner. Her eye-catching jacket is actually a The Used jacket. The Used is an alternative/hardcore rock band that has been around since 2001. The Used are frequent acts of the Warped Tour, a music and extreme sports festival that Bodner said she attends every year.
In her free time, when she's not coming up with scenes of creepy biomachinery, Bodner said she enjoys outside activities, such as long walks and ATV rides.
Bodner said she doesn't remember when she first got into art, but she knows that from a young age she's been "always scribbling."
Max Freese is a junior and English major at Cal U. In his free time he likes to read and watch movies. You can find more of his work at his blog.