Today we’d like to introduce you to Kat McDaniel.
Hi Kat, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
It’s hard to know where to start. I’m a single mother of two amazing kids who give me life. I play and teach taiko drumming. I also play piano, guitar, and am teaching myself the violin. I am a curvy and proud belly dancer. I love and care for foster cats and kittens- over 300 in the last 20 years. I make scented self-care products and candles. Most of all, I paint. I use the name La Kyrie Boheme, or the Bohemian Valkyrie because I am a true bohemian at heart and a valkyrie by fate. The Valkyries would choose the most valiant warriors to take to Valhalla. I feel that I’ve been called to find other warriors of domestic violence, of mental illness, of disasters, to help them in whatever way I can, to rebuild and become the phoenixes they deserve to be.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve been through hell and back again, through abuse, injuries, mental and physical illnesses, my own death, and many disasters. All of it made me who I am. Correction: I made me who I am by not letting any of them destroy me. I learned how to use the pain and struggles to make me see things better, to make ME better. Like Alanis Morisette’s song, you live, you love, cry, lose, bleed, scream… you learn.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Each painting I create can also be seen as a self-portrait of a moment in my life. It may look like someone or something else, but each one captures a piece of me, an emotion, a realization, a change. One piece shows a souvenir I got from a car accident called trigeminal neuralgia. It’s also known as the “suicide disease” because such a high percentage of its sufferers commit suicide from the pain. There is no cure, and little can be done to lessen the pain. I drew exactly what it feels like to have a TN attack: someone drilling a hole in my head while my skin peels off and disintegrates, leaving a vulnerable, raw skull.
Another, “Cut” shows someone cutting her hair which is also the strings of her body, a violin, so no one can play her ever again. This portrays a younger me who used to cut her hair short so her abusive husband couldn’t use it to grab onto anymore. I’ll never cut my hair short again for anyone.
I also painted what it feels like to explain my death (or near-death) experience to someone else. I’m surrounded by darkness, rooted like a tree in a river that is also me. I’m holding, yet not touching my heart that is on fire. It turns into a puff of smoke as it goes through the tombstones that try to translate it into living speech. I never found words to describe my experience, so I painted it instead.
I’m currently working on a tarot series. Every painting is a tarot card. The images are from modern media: movies, shows, books. If you’ve seen the movie, you will understand the meaning of the card. 8 down, 70 to go. It’s a big project.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
I gather inspiration from others. Their stories, their input on my art, their encouragement. When my house was destroyed by fire and flood, my entire portfolio was destroyed along with it. I had to start again from nothing. I was halfway through the semester in my art classes at Weber State and had to redo everything I had begun, only now with less time and more heartache. Rebuilding the house was a huge struggle, but rebuilding my creations was even harder. I had to learn to let go. My professors and classmates encouraged me to use the experience to tap into my inner creativity and deepen my work. Seeing and hearing their interpretations of my art gave me a fascinating view into what my art could really do. I started to create from my heart instead of just from my eyes. I painted differently. I saw differently. And by the end of the semester, I had awakened part of me I never knew existed. Images came out of me in a new and exciting way. Everything I do now has a deep meaning and rich background. Where I copied before, I truly create now.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @lakyrieboheme
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/lakyrieboheme
Image Credits
Kat McDaniel
Michael Nanney
Mateo Gregorio
