Kathy Sautter received a B.A. (equiv.) in Fine Arts, and a B.S. in Mathematics, both from the University of New Orleans. She has resided in New Orleans for most of her life. In addition to painting, she has worked as a computer programmer and a website designer. Her paintings have been exhibited in group exhibitions locally, nationally and abroad. She has served on the Visual Arts Committee of the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, and has been active in fundraising for local humane organizations. She maintains a studio at Mid-City Studios in New Orleans, Louisiana.
My paintings are pictorial systems composed of elements that are abstract, representational or neither, and employ a conscious strategy designed to erode the boundaries between abstraction and figuration. Pre-existing images that were created using traditional representation and illusionistic stylistic conventions are just as eligible for inclusion as the gestural brushstroke or the carefully reproduced paint splatter.
Elements included as arbitrary fragments outside of their original context are free to become part of defining a new context within a particular painting. That new context is deliberately left undefined and ambiguous, creating an opportunity for the viewer to provide their own context for the unexpected juxtapositions, interactions and relationships between seemingly unrelated elements.
Received the Achievement in Studio Art Award (senior thesis award) from the Department of Fine Arts at the University of New Orleans in 2000.