Kate Mulholland (b. 1987)Kate Mulholland is an artist based in Houston, Texas, whose work bridges art and geology to explore narratives of time and Earth's evolving landscapes. She studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and earned her BFA from the University of Houston while pursuing Geosciences, an interdisciplinary foundation that informs her practice.Mulholland’s paintings and paper-based works have been widely exhibited, with notable recognition in New American Paintings (Issue #144, 2019) and inclusion in the permanent collection of Houston Endowment. Her work is held in research institutions and private collections worldwide and was recently featured in collaboration with K2 Sports for their Winter 2025 snowboard line.Through her art, Mulholland emphasizes public accessibility to science, blending uncanny beauty with layered histories of the natural world. Her practice offers a unique perspective that connects art history, geological narratives, and human ecology. Artist StatementMy fascination with nature's mechanics and the environment began in childhood, hunting fossils, arrowheads, and natural clays along Lake Erie’s shoreline in the U.S. Midwest. Today, I reinterpret geological field research and painting to explore Earth's physical creation, offering a deeper look into environmental issues and the cognitive dissonance we experience around them. My work celebrates the beauty and complexity of the natural world, inspiring a sense of wonder and connection.In my practice, I collect geological data shaped by the forces of time and reinterpret it into landscapes or abstracted portraits of temporal layers. Just as sand and soil form beneath our feet, these visual accumulations undergo erosion—each layer becoming a memory, an erosion event, combining to create a composite image of time. This terrain-making process forms my work's conceptual foundation, reflecting the interplay between natural forces and human perception.Since the turn of the last century, abstraction in Western art has sparked lively discussions, with some viewing it as challenging the status quo. In contrast, others celebrate realism for its trustworthiness and relatability. It's understandable that the general public may find abstraction less accessible, given its departure from the familiar mimicry of realism. Similarly, science also presents a fascinating duality: while we enjoy the benefits of modern medicine and fossil fuels, there is often a gap in understanding the quest for new alternatives. My work aims to bridge this gap by transforming the fear of the unknown into an invitation for curiosity. By blurring the lines between artistic and scientific literacy, I encourage viewers to engage with the work deeper, empowering them to explore and question without needing technical expertise.This approach opens new avenues for appreciation and understanding, fostering a more inclusive dialogue around art and science. Whether through subtle visual cues or data embedded in the titles, my paintings are composites of my interests—geological history, human ecology, and the processes that create memory. They blur the boundaries between landscape and abstraction, creating "Trojan horses" of uncanny beauty that reflect the layered complexity of our world. Kate MulhollandResidence: Houston, TXb.1987: Youngstown, OHEDUCATION2009-2012, BFA University of Houston, Painting2005-2007, The Art Academy of Cincinnati, Art HistorySOLO EXHIBITIONS2020, Big Miasma, G Gallery, Houston, TX2019, Group Show a Solo Show, Wedge Space Gallery, HCC SE. Houston, TX2017, Jawbreaker Sigils, Cardoza Fine Art, Houston, TX2016, Apocalypse Dreams curated by Edgar Meza, Scott Charman Gallery Houston, TX2015, Space Cake curated by Eduardo Portillo, MASAlternativ. Houston, TXSELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS2025, Watershed: Matthew Messinger, Peter Healy, and Kate Mulholland, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, TX2024, Endless Summer, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, TX2023, Texas Emerging: Volume IV, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, TX2023, Currents, curated by Edwin Smalling, Basket Books & Art, Houston, TX2022, Never Odd or Even, curated by Dennis Nance, Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, TX2021, Here We Go, curated by Eduardo Portillo, Barbara Davis Gallery, Houston, TX2021, COLLECT IT FOR THE CULTURE III, curated by Robert Hodge, GreenStreet Houston,2019, Everything’s Gonna Be Alright Now curated by Robert Hodge, David Shelton Gallery, Houston, TX2019, Devil’s Pie, Private Eye Gallery, Houston, TX2019, Midas Touch curated by Preston Douglas, Midas Touch Jewelry, Houston, TX2016, Payday Lenders curated by Mark Flood, Cardoza Fine Art, Houston, TX2014, Seismic Atlas (with Darcy Rosenberger) curated by Sapphire Williams, Fresh Arts. Houston, TX2011, Dis, Dat, Deez, Dos curated by Cody Ledvina, The Joanna, Houston, TX2011, The Way Things Oughta Be curated by DUAL, MegaHost. Houston, TX2011, Cougarland, curated by Wayne Gilbert, Blue Star Contemporary Arts Center, San Antonio, TX2006, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Chidlaw Gallery, Cincinnati, OHAWARDS & COLLECTIONSP.A.C. Artist Residency Collection, Houston, TX + CDMX, MXHouston Endowment Permanent Collection, Houston, TXBrooklyn Art Library, New York City, NYK2/Elevate Collective, Seattle, WAK2 /Elevate Collective WINTER 2024-2025 Snowboard and Ski line, WorldwideMemorial Hermann Hospital SystemRESIDENCIES2025, Nancy B. Negley Artist Residency, The Dora Maar Cultural Center. Menerbes, FR2023-24, P.A.C Art Residency, September-January. Houston, TX2015, Aurora Residency, Houston, TXPRESSNew American Paintings, Issue #144 WEST. Online.Becker, Chris. “Gallery Show Curated by Robert Hodge is ‘Alright,’ Alright!” City Beat, Houston. Online.“Preston Douglas Presents “Midas Touch”, in Houston”, Autre. Online.Boyd, Robert, “Art That Moved Me in 2016”, The Great God Pan is Dead. Online. Artist Interview