Meet Kate Falluca

* * * * ½ 2 votos

by Franco Tarsitano

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Kate Fallucca and her photography are a wonderful addition to the Kenosha art community. From the moment she arrived to our city her exuberance has involved her in Lemon Street Gallery, the board of the Kenosha Art Association, and helping out where ever she can like at the Pollard Gallery. The first day I met her at Lemon Street her energy overwhelmed me. Her work reveals a connection with nature and the out-of-doors. Frequently, looking at her photography makes you wish you could have been traveling with her.

Franco: Tell me a bit about where you’re from and your travels and what brought you to Kenosha.

katefalluca.jpgKate: I’m from Glenview Illinois so I’ve worked and lived on the edge of both borders of the northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin area all my life. I traveled all over most of the US with my parents while I was growing up. I went to Carthage College to study art 20 not-going-to-mention-how-many years ago. I moved to Florida for a couple years, back to the area renting an apartment in Kenosha, then moved off to New Mexico for a couple years. THAT’s when I received the calling to give my photography a chance as an art and get in a gallery and try to sell it and my skills. The area I was in was small and there wasn’t much potential but I had the passion and determination to make this happen so I came back to the area and dived head-first into the art community in Kenosha.

F: Tell me a bit how you got started in photography.

K: I have always loved art and wanted to be an artist, dabbling in drawing, painting and even writing. I’ve always had a camera and loved to take pictures. But a comment a friend made about some pictures I had developed is what fueled the idea. I joined, and subsequently worked part-time on and off, at the Chamber of Commerce and joined a gallery and here I am today.

F: Do you consider yourself a “landscape” photographer, and if so why?

K: Yes, because the images I’m primarily fascinated with- the Native American culture and love exploring ruins and capturing images/scenes that move me - when the spirits allow. I am also drawn to the mountains and rock formations and sunsets and water.

F: What is it about this type of photography that gives you that interest?

K: Well, for one thing, it doesn’t move - like kids and animals and people for portrait work. I can sit in a place, contemplate what I’m looking at and take my time capturing the right image.

F: Tell me about the organizations that you belong to, what you’re doing in the art community.

K: I am a member of the Lemon Street Gallery - where my solo show opens on Friday December 28th from 6:00 to 9:00pm. I am also on the board and write the newsletter for the Kenosha Art Association.

F: What is it about your solo exhibit you want to tell the readers and why they should come.

K: The images in my exhibit are inspiring! They capture hundreds of years of history and culture, they are unique in that I captured some in unique angles, and they are not this area. It is something different to look at for people who live here and a reminder of memories for those who have been there to visit.

F: What do you hope to accomplish with your work…what gives you the personal satisfaction about photography?

K: I hope to share the spirit of this culture and their history with people who follow, enjoy and understand it and also to open the eyes and hearts of people who aren’t familiar with this area of our country. Many people have asked me why I “moved to the desert” and I tell them that I wasn’t in the desert, I was in the mountainous area of New Mexico. Northwest New Mexico and Southwest Colorado are very beautiful and my personal satisfaction come from showing people that there is more to the southwest than sand and cactus. Anyone who’s been there feels the connection and hopefully those who have not will want to.

Kate Falluca you have been “Exposed”

You can contact Kate through her website at www.ktdesigns.biz

Franco Tarsitano is the General manager of Lemon Street Gallery

4 comments ↓

#1 Joe on 12.23.07 at 1:20 pm

Thank you, Franco and Kate.
Nicely done!
I look forward to the 28th.
Joe

#2 Shari on 12.25.07 at 8:41 pm

Katie has a great eye for detail. I’ve known her for years and her enthusiasm and passion show in her work. If you don’t own one of her prints, you will soon! Congratulations, Katie!

#3 Melanie Hovey on 12.25.07 at 9:03 pm

Those of us who know and love Kate sometimes tease her about her boundless energy and “exuberance” for life. It is, therefore, quite interesting for me to contemplate the tranquility that is an obvious part of Kate’s personality in that it affords her a remarkable ability to capture serene moments in nature. I imagine her sprinting to the top of a mountian, talking and laughing all the way, then being overcome with the profound beauty of it all…then quietly, skillfully raising her camera.

#4 Kim Rahal on 12.26.07 at 9:42 am

Kate,

You are a inspiration to us all! I love your work it is beautiful and it captures a emotion of the moment. I look forward to your Solo show. See you Friday!

Kim

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