Over the summer I was one of the juried Artists in the 2nd Annual Fitchburg Paint in.  I also have a painting in the 2008 Fitchburg Art Museum Regional Show (the one pictured above).  As a result of this exposure I have been asked to do an interview on FATV.  I will be on the Barbara...and You show August 26th at 7pm.  Hope you can watch!

I received my Art Education at Lowell University and The School of the Worcester Art Museum (MA).  Upon graduation I took a job in commercial art, staying in this field for 10 years.  The need to be meticulous as a commercial artist has left its mark in the attention to detail in my Artwork.

The technique I use in my watercolors is called glazing.  It is the build-up of transparent layers of paint creating depth and rich textures.  As layers build, things become more detailed & defined and values deepen.  A lot of time is put into planning and preparation, especially for larger pieces.  Buy the time I transfere my drawing to the watercolor paper it is refined, colors have been selected and composition issues have been resolved.  I try to limit myself to 6 colors for the sake of continuity ( a violet mixed from a blue and red you are already using is going to work much better than a violet from a tube).  I do color notes for each painting, making sure to label colors and mixtures so I can pick up where I left off if I do not work on the piece for a while, usually I have several paintings going at once.  I keep all my color notes and sketches, refering to them at times for new paintings.

I love painting flowers, birds, butterflies, cats and whatever other subjects pique my interest.  Vibrant colors are what will usually attract me to a subject.  I have also done some portrait work which I found to be extremely satifying. My favorite part of the painting process is putting in the detail.  

I live with my two teenage children and 3 cats (yes, the ones I have been painting).  I make my living as an Artist, taking a wide variety of creative jobs to make ends meet.  One of my long term projects has been working on a children's book about my cats.  (Some of the ACEO cat cards I have listed were done as thumbnails for the larger paintings which will go in the book.)  I sell some of my artwork on ebay.  You can visit my store at http://stores.ebay.com/InspiritArt-Gallery

I enjoy sharing my knowledge and passion for watercolor with others.  I taught Watercolor101 at the local Michael's Arts & Crafts (among other places) for more than 5 years.  Unfortunately they have discontinued their class program.  If you would like the new times and places for Watercolor101 visit the classes page.

Thank you for visiting, please come back again.

Kathryn Swantee