Kat Corrigan Paints the Dogs, Cats, and Other Animals with Élan—and Acrylics

By Sharon Parker

“I have been with LOLA from the beginning and have loved every year of it!” says Kat Corrigan, best known for her lively acrylic paintings of pets and other animals, and her whirlwind “30 Days” painting challenges.

She is just finishing up “30 Dogs in 30 Days” this month, painting live at a festive event this evening, 5–6:15, at Piazza on the Mall, 1221 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. 

And Friday, 6–8 p.m., at Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe in northeast Minneapolis is the opening event for her exhibition of this project. “I'll be there with all the dogs, and with new cards of all the recent dogs as well as from past projects!” she says. (Here is the Facebook event page.)

For LoLa, she will once again be at the Riverview Cafe and Wine Bar. “It has been an excellent space and Dave [Bernick], the owner of the Cafe, has been generous with his time and has helped us with setting up and taking down,” she says. 

What media do you work in?

I paint primarily in acrylics, more specifically in Golden heavy body acrylics in the tube, with a healthy splash of Golden gloss medium over them in my moist Masterson's Handy Stay-wet Palette which keeps them wet and ready to use for weeks, dare I say months!  I use woodless pencils with a softer lead (4-6B) to sketch my initial image onto a black-gessoed panel.  Canvas can be too soft for me and I love the brushstrokes I get on panel, plus they are much sturdier!

What inspires/informs your art?

I have loved animals since I was an awkward child and still find great enjoyment in the shapes their bodies make. Along with being great comfort as companion animals, my pets are my muses.  I also find inspiration from other artists, local and international, living and dead. I think you must look at art to be able to understand and create it, and seeing how someone else painted by looking closely at their brushstrokes is a huge education. As a guard at the MIA for a few years in the '90s I had an incredible chance to study from the masters up close.

What do you like about LoLa?

Anita White is one of the best parts of LOLA!  I joined because she was an incredible convincer, and it feels great to be part of something so open and accepting of all levels of ability, and to also be LOCAL!  

Are you doing anything special for the art crawl?

I will be painting live each day, possibly doing "20 Minutes for 20 Bucks" paintings if I feel like it!

(And, of course, the Riverview will have tasty snacks and beverages for sale.)

Follow Kat's painting exploits and see more of her work on her blog, Kat Corrigan: Paint!