Funding for the arts

Hello! Thank you for taking a look at my fundraiser. My name is Kathleen Rout, and I am a professional printmaker and painter. My most important goal in life is to create artwork that people will enjoy for many years. I'm raising funds for materials required to make a captivating solo exhibition. The proposal for the show has been accepted and is scheduled for this October. I hope to feature my best work in this exhibition.

Maintaining a full-time art career has been a struggle for many years now. This past year I have focused on new strategies for marketing, networking with other artists, and developing myself as an entrepreneur. I have made a lot of progress toward sustaining my dream job, and your contribution will help toward my goal.

The solo show will include gyotaku techniques. Gyotaku is an ancient art form developed by Japanese fishermen who recorded their catch by rubbing sumi ink on their fish, covering it with rice paper, and then rubbing the fish to create an image. The process seems simple, but rendering a clean print requires significant practice and skill. I'm accustomed to printing woodblocks, etchings, and monotypes, so gyotaku is new to me. I've learned a lot and started practicing with rubber fish molds before printing a real fish. I will hand-print a variety of fish with different types of ink, using many different colors and mixed media. Gyotaku is one of three series in the exhibition. If you would like more information, I will gladly answer any questions.

Since I am still building my following and clients, I'm encouraging attendance by organizing an art festival to happen during my show. Forty-eight artist booths can fit in the gallery's vacant lot with a twenty-foot walkway. So far, seventeen artists are signed up.

List of materials

- framing $800

- live fish $87

- studio rent Jan through Oct $3000

- easel $310

- paint $57

- ink $55

- paper $223