Kathrin Federer’s Mesmerizing Digital Art
We are delighted to be able to interview an Adobe Influencer and NFT artist, Kathrin Federer. Kathrin’s digital arts are widely collected and favored for their unique compositions and colors. Out of patterns, objects, and colors, she creates a world of serenity, which draw people in to ponder or relax. The clean presentation shows Kathrin’s perfectionism in her superb art skills but more importantly her perception of life when facing the complicated world that we live in.
In the following interview, Kathrin candidly shares her path to digital art and later becoming an NFT artist. Her personal story is an inspiring one in facing new tools and concepts. Hope you enjoy reading it.
Q: Your digital art is so unique and exquisite. Please share with us the path you took to become such a great digital artist.
A: Creative from childhood, always being a visual dreamer, I started with abstract painting at 25. In 2017, I came into contact with Photoshop for the first time. A new world opened up for me; I immediately saw a way to be able to make my visions come true. I immersed myself with body and soul. With the beginning of sharing on Instagram 2019, many new possibilities opened up, like several art licensings, publications, exhibitions, and the metaverse of Crypto art (NFTs). There is nearly no day that I don’t work on creation or learn new techniques or tools.
Q: You are one of the members of the Adobe Influencer Group: DACH. Please tell us what this group is about and how did you join the group?
A: The Adobe Influencer Group DACH is a group of specialists, (from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) each in their own field; most teach and support Adobe customers/users with their Adobe expertise. We are always the first to hear Adobe news (under NDA). We meet monthly online for mutual exchange, with direct contact to Adobe.
There’s no way to apply for the group or anything. Adobe will contact you if they think you would be an asset to the group. (Invite only by Adobe.)
Q: What is your source of inspiration?
A: I hear this question very often.
I am inspired by what I see. This can be grazing sheep in a pasture, a scene from a movie, images that I very quickly browse, a snapshot, a child’s drawing… very diverse. Mostly I am inspired by a single object and around it, I create then “the environment”.
Q: When you compose an image, what elements are you looking for?
A: It depends on the idea of the composition. I like animals, trees, and mountains, but also elements of architecture. Sometimes there are elements that are abstract, so do not exist in reality.
Q: What is the main theme you would like to communicate with your audience?
A: My creations reflect a part of my soul. An essential part of it is that my creations are clean. On the one hand, I want to fascinate the viewer, make them think, take them into another world and/or make them smile. My minimalist creations should radiate calm, something that in today’s fast-paced time usually comes up short and where there is a great need for it.
Q: Please share with us your philosophy regarding colors and perspective? How do you utilize them in your digital art?
A: Color and the arrangement of elements is a very important point. I pay a lot of attention to this and choose them out of intuition. There are theories that can be learned for this. I’m lucky that I do not have to think much and choose the colors and arrangement from intuition. So I usually choose colors from the color theory and grid rules. I often invest a lot of time to check and compare variations. But it can also be that I just deliberately choose an abstract positioning to catch the viewer. This is very dependent on the composition and the message of the creation.
Q: You are an NFT artist. Please tell us what NFT is.
A: There are very many videos on YouTube that explain what an NFT is. I recently gave an online talk in the Adobe group about NFTs (in German). Here is the short summary that I translated to English (without guarantee for completeness and correctness).
Q: What is your advice for beginners who are interested in digital art?
A: That may depend somewhat on what kind of digital art. If someone has ideas, but can not implement them, it is worthwhile to acquire basic knowledge of the appropriate software in a basic course. This helps to avoid initial mistakes and to get an understanding of the theory behind it. After that, it’s practice, practice, practice. In other words, the more you work with it, the better. You will certainly be confronted with challenges that you can then solve ad hoc, e.g. with YouTube videos.
Personally, I also benefit from my studies in Visual Communication and Online Marketing.
Q: Do you have any upcoming exhibitions or projects that you would like to share with our readers?
A: On May 14, I will be in Zurich at PhotoSchweiz as a guest speaker on the topic of NFTs. PhotoSchweiz is the largest photo exhibition in Switzerland. In the summer, I will publish a book.
As I mentioned before, I get a lot of requests and I select specifically. Cooperations have to convince and inspire me and I have to identify with them. I don’t choose projects for monetary reasons. I still have some personal projects for the current year.
Ideally, you visit my website and follow me on Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date. When I have time I share from time to time a YT Tutorial.
