Student Spotlight: Kat Cimino

We are very proud to present this month's Student Spotlight recipient, senior Kat Cimino. Kat has been doing remarkable work and the faculty wanted to show her off a bit by displaying her talents to the SCAD community and the world at large.

Kat portrait by Alan Hawley



1. Where are you from? I am from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.



2. Where have you been to school (and if grad student what kind of degree did you receive)?
I attended Atlanta College of Art as a Drawing/Painting major for two years before the merger.



3. What attracted you to Illustration?
I felt lost as a Drawing/Painting major. At the time I knew very little about myself as an artist- and otherwise. I remember being very impressed when I took Illustration I with Rick Lovell at ACA because I felt like I was finally getting a little more direction. So, when I came to SCAD I changed my major to Illustration. It felt like a chance to start over.



4. Who are your biggest influences?
My teachers and my classmates. I am so inspired by them! Their feedback on my work is important to me too.



5. If you weren’t studying illustration at SCAD, what would you likely be doing?
I can’t say I would have found Illustration the same way, but I know I would be still be making art. A couple other art schools had accepted me, so I would be at one of those, I suppose.



6. What do you like to do in your spare time?
I’m not really sure when spare time is. Outside of school I spend a lot of time reading, doing homework, going to the gym, cuddling my dog, taking pictures, going to farmer’s markets, and dreaming about future paintings. I really love cooking too.



7. What is something that most people don’t know about you?
I’m vegan, so I make art that is too; I try to only use materials that are animal-free!



8. What would your dream job/client be and why?
Someone who wants me to paint pretty things, because that’s what makes me happy.



9. What’s your typical process for creating your artwork (technique, media, etc)?
I have not settled on a particular process or medium. I usually pick up whatever medium we last employed in class, not only because of it’s availability but because I will still have a feel for it. I took a watercolor class last quarter so that is what I have been using lately, which is ironic because I remember telling everyone how much I hated the medium. I rarely use computers. Really, the only constants are that I always work from photographs, and I always make a really big mess.



10. Sum up your personal philosophy in 25 words or less.
I didn’t really get into my work unless I accidentally ate paint or trekked it all over the house.