Past & Present

A studio visit with artist Kevin Rose Schultz

Kevin Rose Schultz creates her signature pieces in a cheerful backyard studio designed and renovated by her husband, Rick.

“It was a labor of love for him,” Schultz said of Rick’s decisionto transform a former two-car garage into an up-to-date art studio located behind the couple’s home of more than 30 years. “Or maybe he just wanted all of my art stuff out of the house,” Schultz said, laughing.

“He is multi-talented. He put in the electricity, the plumbing, the bathroom, floor and the windows by himself — everything but the HVAC system.” He also created a large, sturdy worktable for her out of a former bowling alley lane, and he built a deck with a view.

“I had been dreaming of having my own safe haven for art making for a long time,” Schultz said.

Now that it is a reality, she spends five or six hours a day in this art-making space, surrounded by her esteemed collections of antique fabrics, vintage clothing, old family photos and other collectibles from the past — used to create her artworks.

Now that it is a reality, she spends five or six hours a day in this art-making space, surrounded by her esteemed collections of antique fabrics, vintage clothing, old family photos and other collectibles from the past — used to create her artworks.

Now that it is a reality, she spends five or six hours a day in this art-making space, surrounded by her esteemed collections of antique fabrics, vintage clothing, old family photos and other collectibles from the past — used to create her artworks.

“These pieces from the past inspire my art,” she said. “They form a web of relationships between the past and present that I aim to illuminate in my work.”

Schultz was born in Floyd County in a family with deep roots in the area, dating to the mid-1800s. Her ancestors are often referenced in her work, especially her maternal grandmother, Mary Andres.

“My grandmother was a quilter and seamstress,. When I was about 7, she altered her wedding dress for me to play dress-up. Later, she made some of my favorite outfits. She also taught me to sew well enough that I made my sister’s prom dress.”

– Kevin Rose Schultz

“My grandmother was a quilter and seamstress,” Schultz said. “When I was about 7, she altered her wedding dress for me to play dress-up. Later, she made some of my favorite outfits. She also taught me to sew well enough that I made my sister’s prom dress.”

Schultz celebrates her grandmother and the long tradition of women fabric artists in her work named “Dancing Dream,” a depiction of a vintage dress that draws attention to the skill and artistry of the old-time dressmaker. This work was made using a historic photographic process called cyanotype. This process is used to take photographs without a camera by first covering a background fabric with light-sensitive chemicals, then placing the object to be photographed over the fabric and securing it with glass. Finally, this assembly is exposed to direct sunlight to “develop” the image in indigo and white. In “Dancing Dream,” the intricate needlework and flowing fabric of the keepsake dress come alive as if painted with sunlight.

“Timing is everything in this process. The details of the dress show up because of the precise time exposed to the sun and the tight fit under the glass. When the photograph is finished, the chemicals must be rinsed immediately with water to prevent overexposure.”

– Kevin Rose Schultz

“Timing is everything in this process,” Schultz said. “The details of the dress show up because of the precise time exposed to the sun and the tight fit under the glass. When the photograph is finished, the chemicals must be rinsed immediately with water to prevent overexposure.” 

Antique hand-crocheted doilies, throwaway items for some, also hold a lot of meaning for Schultz. A popular product of the Victorian era, doilies were used to protect furniture — under wine glasses, water pitchers and finger bowls. They adorned side tables, dressing tables and more. Schultz is deeply moved by them. “The beauty and dignity of their makers’ lives are visible in their exquisite patterns,” the artist said.     

To preserve and honor the skills of the women who created them, Schultz has created sculptures of women’s torsos out of doilies. Her aim is to show that even in unliberated times, women found ways to assert their creativity and originality and to make this idea part of her own work.

Old family photos that Schultz inherited or gathered from relatives sparked another of her creative ideas. Instead of letting them gather dust in the attic or closet, she rephotographs and prints them using the cyanotype process on vintage ladies’ handkerchiefs. The handkerchiefs, chiefly made from fine fabrics such as linen or silk, feature elaborate hand-stitched lace orembroidery around the edges. The handkerchiefs showcase women’s needlework skills with embellishments of floral patterns, initials or small symbols. Schultz sometimes adds her own needlework embellishments to the completed photograph, emphasizing that the artwork incorporates the skill sets of several generations.

A retired art teacher from New Albany High School and winner of numerous awards and honors for her art, Schultz explores and creates in many different media, including ceramics, fashion design, book illustration, drawing and encaustic painting — an ancient process that uses hot beeswax mixed with colored pigments. She continues to teach workshops and takes workshops from other artists to enhance her skills. 

“The creative process, which is a discovery process, is what inspires me most. As an educator, I want my students to make their own discoveries, connections in their own lives, and to tell their own unique stories through art.”

– Kevin Rose Schultz

“The creative process, which is a discovery process, is what inspires me most,” she said. “As an educator, I want my students to make their own discoveries, connections in their own lives, and to tell their own unique stories through art.”

From a very young age, Schultz was surrounded with creative people. Her dad was part of a country music band that played at Do Drop Inn in Louisville. Her mother was a painter.

Her grandmother’s sewing inspired her. “When I was very little, I dreamed of being a fashion designer,” Schultz said. “That dream turned out to be part of a bigger dream to celebrate the creative process and creativity of all people — past and present.”

Her studio, filled with the creations of her husband, her daughters, her friends, her ancestors, as well as her own work — completed and in progress — seems to be an apt symbol of that dream. •

For more information on Schultz’s art, visit her website at kevinroseschultzart.weebly.com or find her cyanotype art at instagram.com/kevin.rose.schultz.

Story by Judy Cato

Photos by Lorraine Hughes

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