Mover Monday: Katie Vonderheide
Time for another edition of Mover Monday! Today we're featuring muralist, sign painter and commercial painter, Katie Vonderheide. Katie is third in our series of LA folks who we asked to make something cool after they were inspired by our Make Moves card deck. Katie is effervescent, has a heart of gold, and a passion for changing the landscape of the city. Her work is full of precision and detail, color and draws out the uniqueness of each client's vision. Read on to find out more about Katie and what she created for us below!
Moved LA: How would you describe yourself?
Katie: I am a muralist, sign painter, and commercial painter who specializes in precision painting. I paint to change the landscape of the city.
Moved LA: What’s your story?
Katie: I'm originally from Chicago but moved to LA at the beginning of 2007. I ran an art gallery with my best friend and as that started to come to a close, I started to paint murals. In 2011, I started Beautification Solutions with my friend, Justin McInteer. The idea was to do something I really love, which is paint, and make a living doing it. I find it challenging, sometimes scary, constantly in flux, and so rewarding!
Moved LA: How did the Make Moves card deck inspire you?
Katie: I used the Make Moves card deck as prompts to make collage work. I thought collage would complement the prompts in that they inspire improvisation, layering and intuitiveness. I would create material to use in collage as step one. Then, I'd take that material with the card nearby to refer to and add on and change until I felt finished. The movement in working with the materials felt very similar to a dance.
Moved LA: If you were a cartoon character, who would it be?
Katie: Kermit the Frog
Moved LA: Who is your role model?
Katie: Yoko Ono. Her book, Grapefruit, is a masterpiece and changed my perspective on art. I feel like so much contemporary work stems from her ideas and things she made in the 1960's and on. Her work is joyous, full of humor and love.
Moved LA: If you could give everyone one piece of advice about living with more intention, what would it be?
Katie: Something that's helped me immensely is to live with more honesty and transparency. I always think of this Dr Seuss quote, "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
Moved LA: Who do you follow to stay informed and inspired?
Katie: I love to read books. When I read something, I write down the references people use and then check out or hold that book via the LA Public Library. That way, I have an endless list of books waiting for me to read. Some favorites of mine are Being Wrong by Kathryn Schulz, Evil Geniuses and Fantasyland by Kurt Andersen, Behave by Robert Sapolsky, and anything by Calvin Tompkins and my favorite contemporary philosopher, Simon Critchley.
We love these fun collages that Katie created based on inspiration from our make moves card deck! Check them out below. We’re excited to keep up with Katie and you can too over on Instagram or via her website Beautificationsolutions.com!
