Q&A with Kate Neckel:
Please tell me a little bit about yourself and the work you do.
I’m Kate… I live in Chelsea with my husband and two kids. I started off as a painter but now I draw on everything…walls, sheets, people…I just make stuff.
How do you describe the style of your work?
look, listen, feel, draw/make…
black pens or markers…paper, walls, sheets, whatever (and maybe some color).
Where do you create your art?
I work at home right next to my bed…a little desk/chair and a bunch of photos/sketches and doodles on the wall. Home is where the action is.
Did you always know you wanted to be an artist?
Yes…I always wanted to be an artist. I remember wanting to draw a unicorn when I was 4, and being blown away by the freedom of buckets of paint/paper when I was 6 or 7. From a very early age, when something really had an impact on me…people, songs, places, paintings, experiences/whatever…I wanted to keep those feelings alive and attempt to figure them out…so I would make stuff. I decided to pursue “art studio” as a major in college after a semester in Paris that left me with no other choice but to make work from what I had experienced.
How did you get your first clients?
Through friends and friends of friends…it’s all right underneath your nose.
What are some of your favorite projects that you’ve worked on?
Ace Hotel Rooms in NYC
Cole Haan Spring Campaign
Rockaway Beach video for the band Honduras
What are you currently working on?
I’m designing four bedding/home collections for the Italian textile company, Bassetti.
Kate Neckel photographed at Hudson Studios in NYC. © Kristin Gladney
Describe your style. Is your personal style different from your professional style?
Black or blue jeans, t-shirts, jean or leather jacket and red lips. It’s all the same.
What do you love about the work you do?
The freedom.
Anything unexpected about the work you do?
The stuff that inspired me when I was 12 and 16 and 20 still inspires me now but maybe in a different way…early influences never seem to leave.
Where do you get inspiration?
NYC, bands/musicians, the kids and Tom, surfers, the beach, films…a taxi ride, a conversation…a walk around the block.
Is there someone you’d love to collaborate with?
Sofia Coppola is on the list…love her way of looking at things.
What would be your dream assignment?
Drawing on surfboards/creating a series…
How do you define success?
If things are cool with my kids and Tom then life is good…anything extra is bonus and it comes and goes quickly…and never feels how you think it will.
Any advice for a young artist interested in following your path?
Do what you love
Make Stuff
Hang out
Mess up
Have fun
Try Try Try
Fail Fail Fail
Make some more stuff…
To see more from Kate, please go to kateneckel.com and kateneckel.blogspot.com
