BIOMORPHIC ABSTRACTIONS OF MY RECENT HIP REPLACEMENT | Kathryn Tubbs
This sequence of mixed media paintings created with acrylic paint, oil pastel, watercolor paint and pencil, depicts my journey from injury (traumatic arthritis in hip) through surgery to recovery.
©Biomorphic Abstractions of My Recent Hip Replacement. Kathryn Tubbs. Mixed media. Spring 2021 Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine
Kathryn Tubbs’ artwork creates beauty from what is often considered grotesque. She depicts disease, injuries, scars, and the body’s interior and microscopic matter in her mixed media drawings and paintings. Tubbs’ exploration started in graduate school while her family was caring for a terminally ill child relative with cancer. The surprising colors of disease—whether from chemotherapy or diagnostic medical imagery—made a deep impression on her. Non-traditional color choices free her from realism and inject positivity into the imagery. Born in Cypress, CA, she attended Northwestern University in Evanston, IL for an undergraduate art degree, received her MFA in printmaking at CSU Long Beach, and afterwards studied Cultural Studies at Claremont Graduate School. She currently lives in El Segundo, CA. Ktubbsart.com