Blue Thunder Painting

Kathryn Ikle (E-clay) is a Dallas, TX creative and versatile artist While she enjoys acrylic painting, charcoal, and printmaking, she is not defined by one medium and is passionate about all forms of art. Kathryn's artistic journey is deeply intertwined with her family's rich legacy dating back to 1856. The Ikle family has produced over 1,450 beautiful lace textiles all over Europe with select pieces sold at Christie’s in London. Collections can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the International Folk Art Museum, the Cooper Hewitt-Smithsonian Design Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Textilmuseum St Gallen, Switzerland, and the Museum für Völkerkunde, Basel. This heritage has left an indelible mark on her work, and she integrates the essence of her family’s tradition into her contemporary art. One of the defining features of Kathryn's art is the way she captures the light and airiness inherent in lace textiles. Her art often seems to breathe of lightness, evoking the ethereal qualities of lace. Pattern and design are at the heart of lace textiles, and Kathryn pays homage to this aspect by incorporating intricate patterns into her own creations. She may draw inspiration from traditional lace motifs or reinvent them in a contemporary context. Kathryn's art serves as a bridge between the past and the present. She connects with her ancestors and honors the family business by infusing her work with the passion and artistry that have been handed down from the generations. In doing so, she ensures that the legacy of the Ikle family’s lace craftsmanship lives on in a contemporary and relevant way.