This piece is inspired by my love of the 70's icons like John Lennon
Here, John is ... (according to my own mythology)
enveloped by his own (sometimes grim) lyrics and world.
In order to counterbalance the sadness...
he likes to paint colorful goofy happy birds.
brilliantly plumed
amusing birds
diving through the air- teetering on limbs-
(as if they were part of a circus show).
I've hand written some of the lyrics to the Beatles song entitled
'A Day in the Life"
like: "I read the news today oh boy".....
and "he blew his mind out in a car" etc.
evil beings that whisper in people's ears
or show up in person to the less fortunate of us who have dabbled in the occult and opened the doors of their minds to them.
but being the preacher/painter that I am- I'd like to talk more about how we can be above them; (not beneath them) so I recently put together a website:
CLICKABLE LINK: dechipering spiritual matters | spititual discernment | 23 Marion Street, Cadiz, KY, USA (spiritual-end-times.org)
A NOTE FROM KATA:
WHY BUY MY ART
(INSTEAD OF OTHER ROCK AND ROLL THEME ART-WORKS?)
When my rock and roll icon artwork began (in the late 1980's) I was one of the first to be working in this genre (besides the great illustrators for the Rolling Stone Magazine and Andy Warhol and a few others).
In addition, only a small group of classically trained artists can hand-paint a subject's full body within a scene. Those skills in composition, anatomy, color, etc. take decades to refine. Then, only a small handful in that group have anything to 'say' by their work.
That's where my work outshines many; each piece has a message derived from some autobiographic event in my life. Since I was a teenage artist, I was driven to express my ideas through my work.
Furthermore, most of my body of work 'works' on multiple levels and that is one thing that's led to its far-reaching popularity.
My collectors are generally well-educated and well-traveled people; (heck, many have been to all the major museums in the world!) They recognize the underlying messages, my referencing of other works, the comic insinuations I make in certain pieces etc. and that is why they buy my work.
I've heard from collectors many times; things like: "I don't even LIKE Elvis, but your work spoke to me, and I bought it".
That's because my work is not REALLY about Elvis or the Beatles or anyone- it's about life's larger themes (it is social commentary at its core).
I paint when I feel compelled to make a statement about life. Many such statements are made through my few very recognizable (and some now gone) rock and roll icons. They have become my doppelgangers.
This piece is category 3.
It is entirely hand painted on a piece of gessoed
Masonite board.
DIMENSIONS: the exterior frame height is 8" high,
14" wide and 3.5" deep.
DETAILS ABOUT THE FRAME:
the frame is one of my most unusual types-
it's a quadruple frames. I used some of my collection of
new antique and second-hand frames of various sizes
fitting and firmly glueing them together -
like a puzzle to create a shadow boxed frame.
The most elaborate gold frame is on top.
The deep sides are painted gloss back and
two layers of frames have glass beads glued to them.
there are a total of at least 70 glass beads firmly affixed to
the exterior of this quadruple frame. I take great care to
construct my frames and the objects attached sturdily- for many
reasons: i intend the pieces to last a long time and often end up
shipping them hundreds even thousands of miles to their new
owners.
The clown head attached to the top of the frame is one I broke
off a possibly one-of-a kind antique clay statuette.
His expression and the newspaper I glued beneath his head
mirror the song in its the horrible news. I found old bird
statutes -broke off parts of their wings and glued them
to the interior shadow box portion of the frame to go with my
own interpretation of John's art work regarding birds.
The piece also has some of my handmade laminated
mini Beatles album covers attached.
CATEGORIES OF WORK:
1. PRIMARY ORIGINALS
These are the most time-consuming, most expensive and generally the largest in scale of
my works. They are owned by hundreds of Private Individuals and several Museums worldwide.
One Primary Original may take weeks, months or even years to complete. For decades I created
an average of five to twenty pieces of this type work per year. I'm taking a break from creating
them to build my business and life in new ways. I am not yet sure if I will ever create work in this
category again. For updates please check k a t a b i l l u p s . c o m
2. VERSIONS OF WORK
These are generally the second most time-consuming and expensive of my works. They are owned
by hundreds of individuals across the world. Each one is an entirely hand-painted VERSION of a
Primary Original Painting. They are similar but in no way identical to the PRIMARY ORIGINALS
after which they take their inspiration. Within these pieces I've been inspired to rework or add new
characters, furnishings, backgrounds and colors in ways that never occurred in the PRIMARY
ORIGINALS paintings. These pieces may even contain new themes and ideas. I typically devoted one
to four months creating each piece (depending on size and complexity). They sometimes (but not
always) include unique frames embellished with one-of-a-kind mattes and vintage objects de' art
and unusual titles. They are framed in many ways; simply, ornately, etc. They were painted on a variety
of surfaces besides just canvas or wood including gallery wrap canvas and small furniture; (both which
required no frame). All these works are technically and legally Original Paintings. They are entirely 100%
hand painted throughout all the layers applied as the work progressed. I generally created around five to
fifteen pieces in this category of work per year. This category of work began in approximately 2004
and ended in 2023. I have around ten to fifteen unfinished pieces within this category in storage and
may complete them if I am so inspired in the future. If so, they will be dated the year they are completed.
3. REPLICA ORIGINALS
These are typically the third most time consuming type of work (and third most expensive)
and are owned by over one thousand people across the globe. There may be over two thousand in
circulation. I do not know because I never kept exact records. The demand for them arose when Patrons
admired some of my previously sold PRIMARY ORIGINAL pieces and wanted something similar but
not as expensive. They are are similar to my VERSIONS of WORK (see category 2. works above) with
some important exceptions. First of all, they are as close to being identical to the PRIMARY ORIGINALS
as possible. They have no new creative developments within them (unlike works in category 2.) with
the important exception of the frames which were often elaborately embellished with one-of-a-kind
mattes, vintage objects de' art and unusual titles. They are painted on a variety of surfaces (wood,
canvas, mirrors, small furniture and other materials). They are hand-painted REPLICAS of
some of my favorite PRIMARY ORIGINALS. Each piece is hand painted across the entire surface and
many have additional painting in layers beneath the surface of the top glazes. Each work required at
least a week or several weeks to complete (depending on the size and complexity). They are legally and
ethically also Original Paintings in their own right. I began this category of work in approximately 2004.
In late 2023 I stopped creating in this category. I have about forty unfinished pieces in this category
(in storage) and may complete these works if I am so inspired in the future. If so, they will be dated the
year they are completed.
4. SMALL GALLERY WRAP CANVAS REPLICA ORIGINALS
This category was created in 2021. I created less than 70 of these and will never create any more.
They are similar to my Replica Originals but smaller. For or more on REPLICA ORIGINALS see category
3 above. In addition they are created on gallery wrap canvases which are deeper than most average
canvases. They're designed to be painted on all four external edges of the canvas (edges which are
typically covered by a frame. The idea is for the collector to display the work without a frame and enjoy
the unique dimensional effect as the painting 'wraps around' the sides. The artwork may also be
displayed 'standing up' on a piece of furniture. Proper hanging apparatus is attached to the back
of the canvas.
5. SECOND STYLE REPLICA ORIGINAL PAINTINGS
New to the market beginning in 2023 and projected to be my main product going forward, this type of
work is similar to my REPLICA ORIGINAL works but less expensive. Like my VERSIONS OF WORK,
I've added new elements. This type of work allows endless opportunities to re-express myself (beyond
the original inspiration). I'm adding additional themes and characters to previously created PRIMARY
ORIGINAL pieces. Each piece is first printed on a uniquely light-weight yet strong material using state
of the art equipment (for maximum clarity of resolution, color, etc.). I then spend several hours
embellishing the piece with hand painted areas (and attaching one or more vintage objects de' art to the
frame. The areas of hand painting make each piece an ORIGINAL work of art technically and legally.
6. SPECIALIZED FRAMED OR MOUNTED PRINTS.
When I first offered this category at the inception of my rock and roll icon art work, pieces were typically
framed after being mounted on foam core or wood. They generally had many objects de' art attached to
the piece using glue and or wire. I also mounted the prints on small pieces of furniture, toys, cigar boxes,
mirrors, musical instruments etc. I began with very small embellished framed prints at my first show in
Nashville TN. in the early 1990's. Originally using tiny photographic prints of my work called proof shots,
eventually my work expanded in size. I created and sold hundreds (probably over one thousand) of these
works. The prints mounted on toys, furniture and other objects during this early time were more rare. I
created about one hundred of them. These pieces were created only between the years 1993 and 2004.
They ranged in size from very small (around 3" x 4" to much larger 16" x 20" or so).
7. 2023 SIGNED PRINTS
About twenty five years after beginning my rock and roll icon art business, I stopped creating prints.
Around 2004 I wanted all my future collectors to own works more unique and valuable than my prints
(which were mainly sold framed and with kitsch objects attached as mentioned above in Category 6).
This decision was made even though many early collectors (like Julia Roberts) owned these pieces.
For one year only (2023) I produced signed prints one more time. This was in the interim of developing a
more affordable new product (see category 5 above). The new product evolved as I began to phase out
my older categories of work. This made the remaining work more rare and therefore more expensive
and I still wanted any potential collector be able to afford my work so I developed a new product. While
creating the new product it seemed good to offer signed prints one last time. Each one was produced
on extra heavy card stock paper with a gloss finish using the most expensive state of the art equipment.
Each one was signed and dated.