Kate Adams
b. 1989 Weymouth, Massachusetts
BFA, The Rhode Island School of Design, 2012.
Kate grew up in Massachusetts and now works in the Philadelphia area. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2012 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and a Concentration in English Literature. In 2011, she worked and studied in Rome, Italy.
Growing up in historical wooded New England, Kate has always had a love for nature and a curiosity for the past. As she traveled and learned about other countries and cultures, she was also fascinated by tales from myth and folklore which seemed to imbue the everyday world with supernatural mystery. Today, Kate’s work invites the viewer into a world of heroines and goddesses that feels as real as it does magical.
For over fifteen years, Kate has worked exclusively in scratchboard, a masonite panel that has been coated in white clay and then a layer of black ink. By scratching away the ink, she reveals the layer underneath and creates white marks. This subtractive process is akin to drawing in reverse as the image emerges out of the darkness.
Kate’s inspiration comes from both classical art and 19th-century photography, always striving for a soft, luminous effect. Since scratchboard cannot be blended nor erased, it takes a multitude of tiny, carefully placed marks layered together to create soft light and shadow.
Click here to learn more about Kate’s process. Kate is a member of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists, and has also taught several workshops. Through teaching as well as in-person art events, Kate enjoys being able to share her insights and love for the medium with others.
Selected Bibliography
2021 International Realism: 16th International ARC Salon, ACC Art Books
2013-17 Lockwood and Co. Books 1-5, Chapter Illustrations, Disney Book Group
2015 Monarch Tabletop Card Game, Resonym
2014 Creative Quarterly 100 Best Annual, Artisanal Media LLC
2013 Spectrum 20: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, Flesk Publications
Lectures and Workshops
2025-26 Scratchboard Workshop Series, Perkins Art Center, Moorestown, NJ
2022-24 Guest Artist: Scratchboard, Pen, and Ink, The Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
2023 Scratchboard Color Workshop, Ventress Memorial Library, Marshfield, MA
2017 Illustration Workshop, Princeton Day School, Princeton, NJ
2015-2016 Scratchboard Workshop Series, Bay Farm Montessori Academy, Duxbury, MA
Selected Exhibitions
2026 15th Annual Exhibition: International Society of Scratchboard Artists, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ
2025 14th Annual Exhibition: International Society of Scratchboard Artists, Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Cary, NC
2025 Las Noches, Haven Gallery, Northport, NY
2024 Small Works 2024, Main Street Arts, Clifton Springs, NY
2023 The 16th International ARC Salon, Sotheby’s, New York City, NY
Honors and Awards
2026 Award of Excellence Open Division, Persephone, 15th Annual Exhibition: International Society of Scratchboard Artists, Tucson, AZ
2026 Best in Show: Nocturne III (Magician), Boskone Art Show, Boston, MA
2025 Silver Award Open Division, Persephone, 14th Annual Exhibition: International Society of Scratchboard Artists, Cary, NC
2025 Best in Show: Sibyl, Boskone Art Show, Boston, MA
2025 Judge’s Choice: Nocturne II (Induction), Boskone Art Show, Boston, MA
2025 Director’s Choice: Nocturne II (Induction), Boskone Art Show, Boston, MA
2024 Popular Choice: The Wardrobe Master, Arisia Art Show, Boston, MA
2023 Dual Category Award: Nocturne VI (Serenity), 16th Annual ARC Salon, Sotheby’s, New York City, NY
2023 RAYMAR Traditional Art Award Finalist: Nocturne VI (Serenity), Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize
2023 Juror, Master Level Members’ Exhibition, International Society of Scratchboard Artists
2020 Popular Choice: Nocturne V (Flight), Arisia Art Show, Boston MA