The following text is from "Dallas Worth Watching", Dallas Arts Review, by J.R. Compton.
http://www.dallasartsrevue.com/artists-Subindex/artists_watch/Kathy-Boortz-watch.shtml

I thought I had a line on what Kathy Boortz' art was all about. Until I saw this self-portrait sitting in a box on the floor at the The MAC's Picture Yourself piece-gathering, after I signed my own work into the show, and well before the exhibition was hung.

To be fair, the piece - Self Portrait - wasn't intended to be displayed looking down on it on the floor. Plus there's a golden wood frame around the black metal stand seen above. I Photo shopped that out and blurred the nasty, marked up gallery floor, so we could concentrate here on the figure.

Which is very unlike most of her images, except she has used found materials. I suspect the wood stand frame of Self Portrait would be much less noticeable once the piece is mounted. The black metal claw that suspends the bird-encrusted, falling back figure does so only tentatively. It's a fragile looking piece that could easily slip its surrounding but not sturdily attached stand.

The fragility, of course, may well be part of how she sees herself. The dangling feet, the brightly spotted face and hands and all those tiny birds standing on and suspended from her branches likely have private meanings to the artist, whom I've only met, never really interviewed.

I didn't like the red wood frame around the black metal stand any more hanging on the wall than I did lying on the floor. But at least the piece's birds are standing up correctly and her feet dangle much more realistically this way. Kathy later told me the wooden backing I disliked was meant as a temporary solution for the installers, since she couldn't be there to help.
Still, it was certainly one of the most intriguing pieces that had been delivered by the second afternoon of the gathering for the exhibition that opens August 3. I'm eager to see how it is presented then. -JRC

We first discovered Kathy Boortz' Berry Press Pelican at the 2001 White Rock Lake Artists Tour. Then we discovered a great Bird Snipper at the 2002 Garden of EASL benefit exhibition at Farmers Market. At Exposed, the 2002 DCCA membership show, we found still another of her fine birds. And there's a great monkey in the Bath House's Outside The Lines Show.
At the 2002 White Rock Lake Artists Tour, we found even more Boortz animals we liked. A crucified found wood and feathers bird is Semi Free. We liked the colorful simplicity of the plier parrot, Scream. But by far the most beautiful creature at Kathy Boortz' studio that trip was this Stork, that seemed to be guarding the backyard and studio.

I suspect we'll keep finding more of her work that will amaze us all.

Born: 1948, Houston, Texas

Education

1970 University of Texas, Austin, Texas
1974 MFA, studied under Charles Umlauf, University of Texas, Austin, Texas

Selected Exhibitions:

1978 Fort Worth Museum of Art, Juried Show, Fort Worth, Texas
1979 Laguna Gloria Museum, Juried by TVAA, Austin, Texas
1980 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show
1984 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show
1984 Lakewood Library Show, Best of Show, Dallas, Texas
1992 Texas Visual Arts Association Show, Juried Show, Dallas, Texas
1992 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show
1995 Texas Visual Arts Association Show, Juried Show, Dallas, Texas
1995 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show
1996 Membership Show, Dallas, Visual Arts Center, Dallas, Texas
1996 Texas Sculpture Association at the 500X Gallery, Juried Show, Dallas, Texas
1996 One-Person Show and Open Studio, Studio 104, Dallas, Texas
1996 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show
1997 Membership Show, Dallas, Visual Arts Center, Dallas, Texas
1997 Open Show at 500X Gallery, Dallas, Texas
1997 Blue Yule Ornament Sale, The MAC, Dallas, Texas
1997 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show
1998 Membership Show, Dallas, Visual Arts Center, Dallas, Texas
1998 EASL Show, Contemporary Art Center, Fort Worth, Texas
1998 Tom's Easy Way Film Service, One-Person Show, Dallas, Texas
1998 Madness At The Mac, Membership Show, Dallas, Texas
1988 Texas Visual Arts Association Show, Dallas, Texas
1988 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show
1999 Membership Show, Dallas Visual Arts Center, Dallas, Texas
1999 East Dallas Studio Tour, Dallas, Texas
1999 Texas Visual Arts Association Membership Show, Dallas, Texas
1999 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show, People's Choice Award, Dallas, Texas
1999 Bare Essentials, TSA Juried Show, Art Center of Plano, Plano, Texas
1999 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show
2000 Membership Show, Dallas, Visual Arts Center, Dallas, Texas
2000 EASL, Oh Boys! Toys! Show, Dallas, Texas
2000 DVAC Membership Show, Dallas, Texas
2000 Forces of Nature, Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, Texas
2000 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show, Honorable Mention, Fort Worth, Texas
2000 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show
2001 One-Person Show, Redbud Gallery, Houston, Texas
2001 Complemental, Two-Person Show, Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, Texas
2001 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show
2002 Outside the Line II, Bath House Cultural Center, Juried Exhibition, Dallas, Texas
2002 DCCA Membership Show, Special Recognition, Dallas, Texas
2002 McKinney Avenue Contemporary Self Portrait Show, Dallas, Texas
2002 Texas Visual Arts Association Membership Show, Dallas, Texas
2002 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show, Third Place, Dallas, Texas
2002 LaLoteria, Invitational Show, Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, Texas
2002 EASL, Garden of EASL Show, Dallas, Texas
2002 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show
2003 Feathered Friends, Buchanan Gallery, Galveston Island, Texas
2003 Elemental 2 - Air, Fire, Earth, and Water Invitational, Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, Texas
2003 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show, Dallas, Texas
2003 DCCA Membership Show, Dallas, Texas
2003 McKinney Avenue Contemporary City Views Membership Show, Dallas, Texas
2004 Summer 3D Show, Buchanan Gallery, Galveston Island, Texas
2004 Zoomorph, Solo Exhibition, Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, Texas
2004 Loteria, Loteria! Invitational, Solo Exhibition, Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, Texas
2004 Texas Sculpture Association Membership Show, Dallas, Texas
2004 Texas Visual Arts Association Membership Show, Dallas, Texas
2006 Kingdom Animalia: Creatures Big and Small by Artists Old and New (group exhibition), Valley House Gallery, Dallas, Texas
2007 Summer Group Show - Kathy Boortz, Damon Thomas, Greg Reuter, Debbie Stevens & Steven DaLuz, Buchanan Gallery, Galveston, Texas
2008 Verse and Reverse, invitational show, Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, Texas
2008 Summer Group Show -Kathy Boortz, Susan Downing-White, Janet Hassinger, Marlene Matalon, Doug Sweet and Saralene Tapley, Buchanan Gallery, Galveston, Texas
2009 Thank You Fort Worth: An Appreciation from Valley House Gallery & Sculpture Garden, group exhibition, Fort Worth Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, Texas
2009 Ode to Audubon: Recent Artwork by Kathy Boortz, Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, Texas
2010 Shorelines, Valley House Gallery, Dallas, Texas
2011 Fresh & Salty (a Valley House Gallery group exhibition), Fort Worth Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, Texas

Affiliations:

Dallas Visual Arts Association
McKinney Avenue Contemporary
Texas Sculpture Association
Texas Visual Arts Association