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Drawing kept me going: Interview with Kate Raath
Upenyu Makoni-Muchemwa, Kubatana.net
April 08, 2010

Read Inside / Out with Kate Raath

Kate Raath was born in Masvingo in 1949. She was brought up on a cattle ranch, the landscapes of which informed her perspectives as an artist. She graduated from Rhodes University with a fine arts degree. She has taught art in Zimbabwean schools, and held exhibitions in countries all over the world, including Italy and South Africa.
Source: www.zimbabwefineart.com

Asked about her choice of subject she says: "Someone once asked me if my trees were real. YES THEY ARE. When my other landscape was confiscated five years ago, I crossed the river to a portion of the family farm we have been ‘allowed' to keep. I work in a barren patch of ground, which supports a few trees. Naturally I started giving them names as I painted them so often. The Leading Lady is my favourite. I first called her the Twisted Tree, then Old Favourite. The cloud idea is new as I struggled to reinvent this landscape."

What medium do you work with?
I work with everything except watercolour.

How do you choose your subject matter?
I mostly look for landscape. There's a lot of landscape in this country and I'm inspired by landscapes. I spend a lot of time in the bush looking for the perfect composition. And the shade. There are fantastic views out there, but I can't sit in the sun, because I'm very slow.

How would you describe your style?
My style is pretty much drawing. I draw more than I paint. The oils are something different because I do those in the studio. I work from research for those. I can't do anything [so large] out in the bush. I do very washy sort of oils on site, but on small paper. If I'm in one place for say two weeks then it's different. I leave out my equipment and bring in the paper and my brushes. And I leave everything out there; nobody steals it. It is a bit of a problem with baboons, they like fiddling with everything.

How have your life experiences influenced your art?
I suppose they have, but I wouldn't know how. I grew up in a landscape. The university I went to emphasized landscape. If I grew up in England, I wouldn't be able to go outside all the time. It would be a different thing, more indoors, because of the weather. It's quite accessible here, to be able to get out.

How has your style evolved over the years?
Well actually I haven't. I studied painting at University and then did not paint for nearly 20 years after that. I did craft work and textiles. I had exhibitions of that. It's very difficult to paint when you've got children. It's a very solitary business. When I thought my children were old enough, I started painting. We went on a holiday to India. It was so relaxing. I bought paper, brushes and pencils there, and started drawing again. That kind of got me going. I did mostly portraits and people there. It was a difficult landscape, because it was the sea. I'm not used to the sea, it's not something I grew up with.

Are there any artists who have influenced your work?
The modern masters, they're easier to relate to. I'm talking about from the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. Even the ancient masters are fantastic, Michelangelo and so on. You can't deny them.

What has been your proudest personal moment in your career?
There were milestones. When I knew I had made a break through.

What are your thoughts on the importance of art in our culture?
I think it's terribly important. I haven't been an art teacher in this country for nothing. This country is overflowing with good artists. I'm not talking about stone only; I'm talking about painting and so on. Every classroom has one. Every college has a lot. They're there, and doing some incredible stuff. But struggling, because there are no buyers. There seems to be quite a lot of money for what I consider bad art. The more commercial stuff. Things that are copied from photographs. Is that art? To me that's a technical skill. I've tried to copy from photographs and I hate it, it's boring. I'd much rather be out there. The people who have got money prefer the mass produced stuff, what we call airport art. The more touristy stuff. Things like my art tend to threaten people. A lot of it is a lack of education.

Where can those interested in you and your work find you?
If they want to come to my home gallery, I prefer an appointment. My email is k_art@mango.zw they can telephone me at +263 4 302683 or +263 11 734 718.

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