Tossing Lines - The Evolution of New London Artist Katie Fogg - John Steward

Six years ago, when I first wrote about New London artist Katie Fogg, a Connecticut gallery director had called Fogg a “true artistic force.” One might now call her a “true artistic, community force.” We recently reconnected in her third floor studio in downtown New London’s historic Dewart Building, the 1912 structure surprisingly warm on a freezing December day. As easily happens with Katie Fogg, our conversation flowed over a wide, contemplative spectrum, from portraiture and the evolution of the human body to the evolutionary philosophies of people like Richard Dawkins.

Though still deeply introspective, I sensed something wiser. The human angst we all experience can still find its way onto canvas, but I wondered if it emerged less these days. Fogg has been busy maintaining an artistic presence within and beyond New London. A panelist for the Pattagansett Art Center’s Women in the Arts program at the Lyman Allyn Museum last year, Fogg says the program “gave a lot of locals an intimate opportunity to meet and understand who we were and our point of view.” Through friend William Potvin, a founder of the Pattagansett Art Center, Fogg found her way to Rothbury, Michigan’s Electric Forest, where she’ll be returning in 2026 for her fifth year in the immersive, annual music and art festival where, among other activities, she creates art through face painting. In true Fogg fashion, it’s more than mere facial decoration. She advertises it as “a beautiful, intuitive, ancestral healing painting process for both you and I,” which she attributes to massage therapy involving certain pressure points of the face, providing a connection to others through touch and creativity.

Our conversation turned to travel, and she has indeed been on the move. She visited Venice, Italy, and Barcelona, Spain, where a friend’s hat display in her shop’s front window caught her imagination, leading to a series of paintings called Sacred Crowns. In Florence, Italy, her en plein air attracted locals, including fascinated children. Not many spoke English, but she was soon offering training and advice in the arts to her impromptu audience. Working with children is nothing new to Fogg. She not only taught kids in Brooklyn and Harlem, New York, she created a program here in New London for children called Your HeART Space, which she describes as “A creative haven to transform lives through art.” 

It’s about igniting “profound positive changes in young lives who will gain the power to plant seeds in their own home along with the surrounding communities,” envisioning “a world where young people are empowered to use their art as a tool for personal growth, social change, and collective healing.” Successful showings were held at New London’s Garde Theatre and the Washington Street Coffee House, where all the paintings sold. The latter was a red carpet moment for the kids, with even New London Mayor Mike Passero present. Fogg says “The students learned invaluable lessons about effort, creativity, community, and the true value of their work, and themselves.” She is nurturing the next generation of local citizens. She’s received grants to support her community work, but she currently awaits new funding for Your HeART Space and could use our help.

Fogg, a member of the Women’s Business Development Council, was involved in the New London Arts Council’s 2nd Annual Art Stroll downtown. And, she directed the Creative Village Block Party Downtown in collaboration with the Annex, the New London Cultural District, Dutch Tavern, and other local artists, art organizations, and performers. Along with all of this and more, Fogg is entering her fifth year as an adjunct professor at Mitchell College, where she has an "East Coast" Exhibition on display in the college library.

I left the Dewart Building, stepping into the cold wind of State Street deep in thought, contemplating how the past six years had changed her. I sensed a new, peaceful intuition, a heightened aura of elegance. Her compassion for our children’s wellbeing was heartwarming. Our discussion of evolution, that lifeblood of creative people, suddenly seemed especially poignant, as I realized that both Katie Fogg and her artistry continue to energetically evolve. Through art, innovation, and involvement, she truly makes our world a better place.

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John Steward lives in Waterford. He can be contacted at tossinglines@gmail.com. Visit katiefogg.com or contact Fogg at katie@katiefogg.com