Deep River – Distant Cliffs

Kathleen Frank

Having been an art teacher, woodcarver and a printmaker in my formative years, I emerged as a painter, joyously overwhelmed by color and searching for pattern. Color and pattern are everywhere, but the seeing and interpretation of them are different for each of us. Pattern in nature is primal to me–which fuels my desire to find a glimmer of logic in vastly complicated, confusing and tumbled landscapes. I do also seek out the vibrant hues in landscapes.
          My oil paintings begin with a saturated red orange backdrop. This is overlaid with the main imagery, applied with distinct brushstrokes of brilliant color. Hints of the red background peek through like a woodcut, creating subtle impact without drawing attention away from the primary subjects.
          Several times a year I travel throughout the Southwest, hiking and photographing vistas for future paintings. The goal is to catch the light and design in these scenes in all its strangeness and beauty. It is a lofty goal, but I find when the quest is shepherded with paint and brush it is a delightfully daunting adventure.

Santa Fe artist, Kathleen Frank, travels throughout the Southwest/West, seeking inspiration for landscape paintings. Using vibrant hues, she captures light, pattern and a glint of logic in complex terrains. Exhibitions include International Art Museum of America, Museum of Western Art, St. George Museum of Art, Northwest Montana History Museum, UNM Valencia, MonDak Heritage Center | Art & History Museum, WaterWorks Museum, Sahara West Gallery, La Posada de Santa Fe, and Jane Hamilton Fine Art. Press includes LandEscape Art Review, MVIBE, Art Reveal, Magazine 43, and Southwest Art. Art in Embassies/U.S. State Department selected her work for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.