[2022] Community Focus - Owlcath

There is no such thing as too much art, right? That’s what I thought. Today’s guest has a special way with colors, and her art gives you a feeling of tranquility. Without further ado, Owlcath:
Welcome, Owlcath! Please tell us a little bit (or a lot, we won’t mind) about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do? 

I'm Kate, but in personal relations, I prefer to go by Kathi since there are so many people named Kate. I’m from Poland, where language is full of consonants, so keeping my nickname makes it easier for foreigners too! Owlcath is more oriented to the needs of a “brand name,” as I'm trying to work towards something more unified. I'm 34 and I have a master's degree in Art History. After that, I majored in packaging and oil painting at the Academy of Fine Arts. I have been working for some time now at a graphic design studio/advertising agency as a graphic designer, but my duties cover various creative fields, and I hope to go freelance sometime in the future. 

Thank you for your interest in Destiny 2 and all the amazing art you’ve done for the community. What made you fall in love with the game? 

The visuals were what brought me here, most definitely. I was pining for Destiny for a long time. I didn't have any console back then, so I settled for having Destiny-themed accessories despite not playing the game for even a minute. When the beta for Destiny 2 came out, I signed up immediately. I’ve stayed since then. Not only for the sheer beauty of the game, which is a constant factor, but for gameplay and lore too. I can't even express how much I feel connected to the design, art, and themes of the game. "Someone used Neue Haas font for the interface!", "That balanced geometry!", "Wow, this color palette of Nessus!", "Ancient philosophy! Mythologies from around the world! Abstract concepts!" — and so on and so forth. There is this particular configuration of both form and meaning I have never seen anywhere else. Since I have a soft spot for both Awoken and Fallen, I am particularly fond of Tangled Shore and the Dreaming City. I was very relieved when it was announced that expansion content won’t be sunset anymore. Last Wish is such a unique experience, and I am never tired of it. From the music, the tempo, the movement of my Hunter, it all blows my mind every time. 

Who is your favorite Destiny character? What part of his/her story made you choose that person? Do you have a painting of that character too?

Considering my fanart portfolio, it would be Uldren, now known as Crow, I guess. I think both Sov siblings are my favorite, each of them for different reasons. Our Guardian is in balance between their polarizing qualities. Crow being fragile and humane, he invokes our compassion and need to protect. Mara is the unforgiving, goal-oriented absolute which wakes in me a sterner side. Either one, story-wise, would be "less" without the contrast given by the other. Tension and contrast are what make art work. I think that the line drawn between them, the two sides of the same coin, is a storytelling piece of art.

 



For every artist, inspiration is something different. Who or what inspires you?

Questions like that are the hardest. It can be anything, even something as simple as how sunlight works on a specific surface. For now, I am very interested in how light works in my paintings, but I feel that I can't just do that forever. I need to confront my comfort zone and explore other areas. If I look actively for inspiration, I just drown myself in random imagery, seeing what feelings come strongest and maybe find a spark of creativity. For the most part, ideas come on their own, or through a certain song or a line in a movie. Sometimes it is an observed moment, or just a singular memory. I have a huge backlog of works in progress because ideas are coming faster than I can execute them in my free time. Some of them are almost finished, and others are just simple sketches waiting for a better flow. 

When I was checking your art, I felt like your calm color palette will be very fitting for our upcoming expansion–Lighfall. What excites you the most about Lighfall? 

I think that almost everything excites me about Lightfall! Yes, the color palette is very much along my preferences (I squealed at the announcement trailer). I can't wait for more info about Cloud Striders, since they seem to bring a really new aesthetic to the game. I’m also excited that we are right before the grand finale in The Final Shape. That's always the best part of any story, when all the pieces fall into their place, yet there still is some room for speculation. 

Do you have a special Destiny 2 memory that you would like to share with us? 

Something memorable that happened in-game or outside, but related to the Destiny community? There is so much. I think that there are two important ones. The first is being in a TWAB with my first serious work featuring Thorn and Lumina. That jumpstarted my activity in the community. Until then, I thought about my drawings as something rather unremarkable. The second is when I was invited to the Community Artist Series, which was totally unexpected! Being included in the Community Focus is another surprising milestone and I feel honored by this opportunity! 

Who are your favorite Destiny artists? Who should we look out for? 

Another hard question, since the Destiny community is full of so many really, really talented people. It probably won't be a big surprise to name AviixeArt and Flauzino_FLZ as two artists working on the painterly side. As for more linear work, I always look up to Plumli_Art. They have this easiness in working with lines I can't get enough of. But those artists are only the tip of the iceberg of a whole community brimming with creativity and talent. Folks from D2ArtEvents are a wonderful force of nature, and a lot of my work is featured in events they organize. 

Where can Guardians follow your creations? 

I would suggest checking my Twitter or Instagram, and there you can find links to all accounts I am active on! 

Do you have any shoutouts? 

To any aspiring artist, DON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT YOUR ARTWORK. SHOW IT TO THE WORLD, cause if you don't, you will regret it later! And, since the most important message has been delivered, I want to thank my family (especially my ever-supporting husband), friends, and Bungie, for the very best adventure I could experience and for honoring me with so many opportunities! 
Also, I wanted to remind everyone of cfanprojects and their Destiny Community Fanart Calendar. They will be announcing something new for 2023 soon, and this time I had some small input there too! Every year all proceeds have gone to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital! 

To answer a question I raised in the beginning, there is no such thing as “too much art,” so we’ll keep posting interviews with artists in future Community Focus articles. And with so many Guardians with a wide array of talents, we have quite a queue lined up already. Thanks for your interest and support. 
Ivan out. See you soon!