"She's Just A Little Girl" 22x16 oil on canvas


Kauai Society of Artists 2001
KSA Art Kauai 2001
Merit Award
Juror: Patricia Correia
Kauai, Hawaii

"Flight At Sunrise" 48x24 oil on canvas

I LOVE, LOVE this painting. It was a ground opening painting for me. The whole "Passion Series" was, but this painting and the one I will post tomorrow are special. They represent victory over challenges that I have had, and challenges that still will come my way.

"After The Storm" 22x16 oil on canvas ((p1)

"Reflections" 22x16 oil on canvas (p3)

Both of these paintings were done within days of "Anticipation". I felt free from the confinements of tight painting yet rewarded by it. I had always felt that a lot of abstract painters were only fooling the public. That without knowing the basics it was impossible to paint the abstract of what is real. This is all pretty debatable in my mind these days though, and I am sure in others, especially abstract painters. Even my statement that it is 'impossible to paint an abstract of what is real' lends to questions and objection. Why does it have to be real and what 'is' real. It is all pretty relative. Painting is based on what comes from the soul, I guess that is my ending conclusion. Even that statement is debatable; It is often unclear to me where and from what I get my inspiration or end result. I often look at a painting later and worry that I will never be able to paint that well again. I feel sometimes that it does not come from me at all. Some would say it comes from God and I don't discount that, but it also comes from a host of other things that I am only aware of while in the process of painting or sculpting. Who am I to say what constitutes art, who is anyone? You choose what you like, it is simple as that.

"Anticipation"
16x24 oil on canvas


This painting was a real breakthrough piece for me. I had just finished "Have You Ever Read Anything So Beautiful?" which is part of the "Victorian Series".

(on my site www.kathysart.com and on one of my blogs, http://kathysvictorianseries.blogspot.com)

I had spent forever modulating the colors on Lucy's face. If you check out that image, Lucy is the one in the striped dress. She lives in Bordeux, France and had apprenticed for me for a summer in my pottery studio. I added as many colors to her skin as was humanly possible while still keeping it soft. All those stripes on her dress! Then there was all that lace on Tammy's dress... I was going nuts... but I felt happy with the end results. It is still one of my favorite paintings. I had a few canvas' that I had just painted a dark loose base on and decided to paint with brighter colors on them. Then a light went off... what if I didn't modulate? What if I freed myself to just put color down on the canvas and feel the 'passion' of painting. I did and this is the result. I named this painting "Anticipation" because after it was finished I anticipated a whole series of breaking free and feelng the freedom of quick strokes under my brush. I go back and forth now in styles still understanding the value in both styles.