Artist Research: Kate Bingaman-Burt

I was looking through some of my notebooks and came across my notes from Penelope Umbrico's visiting artist lecture at VCU. She had mentioned that she was represented by Jen Beckman, whose site 20x200.com hosts an array of work from different artists for sale. I went to research the site and began to review all the presented work. I was immediately drawn to Kate Bingaman-Burt. This would be seemingly obvious since her work is based on consumerism. Burt sketches simplistic yet detailed (view her work and you'll understand what I mean) of her daily purchases. This can all be seen on her blog, creatively titled, Obsessive Consumption:What Did you buy today?. Through her careful documentation, we are exposed to what seems like a quite normal purchasing habits. Movie tickets, small snacks, stamps, beer are just the beginning of her drawing subjects. Her work really puts into perspective how much we really do spend.

I found her work interesting because for awhile I thought about saving all my receipts and seeing how I could include them in my work. However, I was unable to figure out how to do it an aesthetically pleasing matter. Burt succeeds in creating whimsical images paired with short captions. From this, we are provided with even more information. In a sketch done on November 5th 2009, Burt sketches out three tall pint glasses of beer, each captioned with the names of her friends, Zach and Frank and herself. This inclusion of material broadens our vision of the artist. She has already exposed herself through the presentation and record of her newly obtain personal belongings and experiences. I found her work similar to a visual diary.

By reviewing her blog, I realized I had actually seen her work at a show in 1708 gallery in Richmond only a few months ago. She had great images on her blog of First Friday which totally bums me out because I was there. After doing these weekly blogs I always have the desire to meet the artist personally, or hear them speak in a lecture. Who knows? I could have walken right by her.

Kate Bingaman-Burt now works as an assistant professor at Portland State University. She has this pretty crazy online introduction to herself online. This, you gotta see. Once you see this page, you'll understand why this blog entry has included so many links.