Lot 395 - Kate van Doren - Free Soul

Graphite on ACM charta panel
2025
A6 (10x15cm)
Original Artwork
Signed on Verso
Curated by Art on a Postcard

About
Kate Van Doren (American, b.1978) explores human resiliency, connection, and the healing power of nature through her realism paintings, drawings, and photography. With over two decades of experience as an art therapist in the mental health field, Kate offers a unique perspective that deeply connects with her subjects and fosters their stories about the human condition.

Kate received an honors degree in Fine Art and Psychology from the University of Oregon (2002) and earned a double master’s in Counseling and Art Therapy from Marylhurst University (2006). As a board-certified art therapist, she has developed and administered art therapy programs for at-risk youth, individuals with severe mental illness, trauma survivors, the elderly, and hospice care patients. She also mentors artists and art therapy students globally.

Kate is the creator of the Healing Words Project, a photography and painting workshop for women that documents the healing journeys of over 2,000 participants. This project has been recognized internationally, including in Newsweek Español, as an early intervention program to prevent violence against women. Her current painting series is based from this initiative.

Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the U.S. and Mexico, including Art Basel Miami, and is held in private collections worldwide. Kate has been featured in Fine Art Connoisseur, American Art Collector, PoetsArtists, Mod Portrait, the Art Renewal Center among other publications. In 2022, she was an ARC and Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize Finalist, and earned 2nd Place in the international FIKVA award for painters. She was also a finalist in the ARC in 2024 and was also included in the Peregrine Collection, a time capsule of digitized art and literature sent to the moon.

Kate is based in San Miguel de Allende, México, where she devotes her time to her family, her art therapy practice, activism work, and her fine art studio.

Education
1999-2003
BFA-University of Oregon

1999-2003
BS Psychology-University of Oregon

2004-2007
Double Master’s in Art and Counselling Art Therapy- Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR

Solo Exhibitions
2022
El Dia Sin Mujeres: Oraciòn Por Las Desaparecidas/ The Day Without Women: Honoring the Stolen, Fabrica Aurora Gallery, San Miguel de Allende Mexico

2020
Fabrica La Aurora Gallery, El Dia Sin Mujeres: Taking our Voices back International Women’s Day, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Intersections Bajio Gallery, San Miguel De Allende, Mexico
The landscape Bajio Gallery, San Miguel De Allende, Mexico
The Running Jen Garay Art Gallery La Fabrics Aurora, SMA Mexico

Group Exhibitions
2024
Feminism, 33 Contemporary gallery, curated by Didi Menendez

2023
Context Miami Art Fair, Miami, 33 Contemporary Gallery, curated by Didi Menendez and Sergio Gomez
Paint The Figure Now, Waussaw Museum of Contemporary Art, WI, Currated by David A. Hummer
Mujer, 33 Contemporary Gallery, Poets Artist

2022
Twist Out Cancer Brushes with cancer, WNDR Museum, Chicago
Fikva Foundation International Fikva award group exhibition
Just Nudes presented by 33 Contemporary Gallery
Contemporary Realism presented by 33 Contemporary Gallery, Curated by Didi Menendez
Mujer, presented by 33 Contemporary Gallery, Curated by Didi Menendez

Awards
2024
Finalist, ARC (Art Renewal Center)

2022
Finalist, ARC (Art Renewal Center)
2nd Place International Figurative Kunst Van Draag (Fikva) award
Finalist, RAYMAR Traditional Art Award, 2022 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize

2020-2022
Art Ambassador for the Twist out Cancer Program

Statement about AOAP Submitted Artwork
This graphite drawing includes the mantra FREE SOUL and is part of the Healing Words Project, an initiative that uses photography and painting to document the healing journeys of women around the world. The artwork represents strength, resilience, and the pursuit of freedom, with the detailed shading and texture highlighting the depth of personal experiences. The clenched fists symbolize determination and struggle, reflecting the voices of women who face challenges yet remain committed to reclaiming their identity and autonomy. The peace symbol within the lettering reinforces the project's focus on healing and empowerment, demonstrating how art can be a powerful tool for self-expression and connection. Salma Neghive, a participant in the Healing Words Project, is the inspiration for this piece. Read her powerful story here: