A detailed graphite drawing of a fossilized fern leaf rendered in grayscale, centered against a gradient background that transitions from purple at the top to deep teal at the bottom. The textured surface of the fossil shows fine linear details and dimensional shading that emphasize its three-dimensional form.
A detailed graphite drawing of a fossilized fern leaf rendered in grayscale, centered against a gradient background that transitions from purple at the top to deep teal at the bottom. The textured surface of the fossil shows fine linear details and dimensional shading that emphasize its three-dimensional form.

Molly Kaderka Bio

Molly Kaderka’s work is inspired by her deep interest in natural phenomena and in human and earth history. Intrigued by both astronomy and geology, Kaderka searches out and observes moments in the natural world, like the night sky, as well as geological specimens, and human artifacts, in order to translate them into compelling visual images. Through a process of drawing that involves highly detailed layers of marks, Kaderka imbues these… Read more

Molly Kaderka’s work is inspired by her deep interest in natural phenomena and in human and earth history. Intrigued by both astronomy and geology, Kaderka searches out and observes moments in the natural world, like the night sky, as well as geological specimens, and human artifacts, in order to translate them into compelling visual images. Through a process of drawing that involves highly detailed layers of marks, Kaderka imbues these objects with an enigmatic yet physical presence that communicates to the viewer the larger mystery they represent.

Her work has been shown in solo exhibitions at the Spray Booth Gallery and Kiosk Gallery in Kansas City and in group shows at the First Street Gallery (NY), Manifest Gallery (OH), Kimball Arts Center (UT), The Jones Center at the Austin Museum of Art (TX), and other galleries in Kansas City. She has received numerous awards, grants and scholarships for visual arts, including an Inspiration Grant from ArtsKC 2016, a Merit Grant and four-week residency from Vermont Studio Center in 2016, the first place award in the 2011 Lester Goldman Drawing Competition, a two-year artist residency from the Charlotte Street Foundation’s Urban Culture Project, and a four-year merit scholarship to the Kansas City Art Institute. She also received an award from the Austin American Statesman Excellence in Writing Scholarship Competition in May 2006.

Kaderka received her BFA in Painting and Art History from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2011 and her MFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2018.

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