Meet Kate Tova | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kate Tova and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate, what role has risk played in your life or career?
It felt like a big risk when I started doing street art around San Francisco during the bad part of the pandemic. All my life I’ve done everything by the rules and always asking for permission. It hurt me to see so many of San Francisco’s businesses hopelessly boarded up, and I felt like I was drowning in negative news all the time. I decided to create these large colorful hearts to uplift spirits and bring hope to the community. I’d paint and embellish them on canvas at home. Then, in the morning I would go and glue them to boards outside and spray paint the outline with drips. The first time I did this was one the most terrifying experiences of my life. Just getting out a spray can and shaking it on the streets made me tremble. I kept telling myself: I’m making this for the people, for my community. If it makes at least one person happy – my mission is accomplished. If the police or shop owners are against it – I can always remove it. This “Street Heart” project turned out to be one of the most rewarding and exciting projects I’ve ever done.

I started getting messages from people saying that the hearts cheer them up on their commute to work. Parents would send me pictures of their kids drawing colorful hearts and sending them to family and friends. A FedEx delivery man was taking pictures of the hearts for his wife when he discovered one while delivering packages. I received a tearful voice message from a fan when one of the hearts was taken down. My heart melted every time I got feedback about my Street Hearts. So many people inquired about purchasing a Street Heart of their own that I decided to launch a 46-piece collection, which completely sold out!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In my recent work, I experiment with vibrant, large-scale multimedia artworks, incorporating reflective mediums and thick textures. My style used to be more traditional back in Russia. I owe New Orleans for finding my current style. The local carnivals inspired me to use a vibrant color palette and mixed media. Now in San Francisco, I am struck by the juxtaposition of nature and tech. I’m excited to extend my “glitches” collection in the near future.

Becoming a successful artist is probably one of the hardest career paths out there. There are no instructions on how to get there, no promises about a future salary even if you go to school and on top of that – there is definitely going to be a crowd of people that will doubt you’ll make it. The key is to keep going. There were a lot of moments when I felt so lost. I didn’t even know where I could possibly keep going but just kept making baby steps and that perseverance made a huge difference in the end.

To sum up the lessons I’ve learned along the way:
1) Networking in your local community is crucial. Volunteer, go to art shows, meet interesting people – even if you’re an introvert like me.
2) Grow your business first before contacting galleries. Doing it too early will waste so much of your time and theirs. Once they see that your works sell – they will reach out themselves.
3) Set a goal and then make a plan of things you need to do in order to achieve it. Small steps are easiest to follow and make a big difference.
4) If you still haven’t found your style – Experiment! Try new media, new subjects, and even something that makes you uncomfortable. Just go crazy and have fun.
5) Get your work out there! In the beginning, it can literally be anywhere so as many people as possible can see your work. Make sure you tell people that you’re an artist even if they have nothing to do with art.
6) Surround yourself with nice, successful, and inspiring people. Get rid of the toxic ones.

I came from a small town named Balakovo in the middle of nowhere in Russia. My family never had much money but they believed in me and I believed in myself. I used my art as escapism from dreary 7-month long winters. Now I’m a full-time artist living in beautiful sunny California. I have a full-time employee now and recently made the cover of San Francisco magazine!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It is the easiest task since I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Golden Gate Park is one of my most favorite places in San Francisco. Make sure you wander off to unpaved paths and explore lakes, cute little flower gardens and eucalyptus forests. I go there almost every day with my dog Toochi.

For the epic views of the must-see Golden Gate Bridge – hike down to Marshall’s Beach. It will be absolutely worth it. Go during the low tide. The views on that beach walk always take my breath away.

I love the little restaurants in the Richmond and Sunset districts. Korean food at Han Il Kwan, dim sum at Dragon Beaux, french breakfast at Zazie, Red Tavern for Russian food, Kaiju Eats for ramen on a cold foggy day!

“Tonga room” is a super fun cocktail bar with a tiki-themed lounge inside the iconic Fairmont Hotel. Definitely worth checking it out!

I love San Francisco architecture. It’s best to take a walk and take it in. Two of my favorite houses are: 200 San Jose ave, and 1384 McAllister St.

There are so many more amazing things to see here such as waterfall hikes in Marin, colorful tile steps, epic bike rides to Hawk hill. I’ve lived here two years and there is still so much to explore.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Number one shoutout definitely goes to my parents. They believed in me and supported my decision of becoming a full-time artist. Without them, I’d be hating every day of my life doing some other job. I’m also really grateful to have a supportive partner who has been a huge help with building my business and making important decisions. I’d love to thank the “Take Paws Rescue” organization in New Orleans. I started volunteering for them taking pictures of dogs, fostering, and donating artwork at fundraisers. I didn’t know many people in the US so they were a huge help in building amazing connections and growing my art business while supporting an amazing cause. There are so many more people and organizations I’d like to thank – I could probably write a whole book about it. I just want everybody who supported me and believed in me to know that it matters so much to me.

Website: http://katetova.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kate_tova/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-tova-54a8361b9/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kate_tova

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artistkatetova

Image Credits
Main photo (horizontal) : 1. Photo by Jason Martineau 2. Photo by Marcell Turner 3. Photo courtesy of Kate Tova 4. Photo courtesy of Kate Tova 5. Photo by Jun Ueda 6. Photo by Jun Ueda 7. Photo by Chloe Jackman 8. Photo courtesy of Kate Tova 9. Photo courtesy of Kate Tova