we interpret the world through the lens of memory
Welcome!
I’m so glad you’re here.
This is where I share my creative process, the inspirations that shape my art, and the ideas that resonate most deeply with me.
A theme that consistently threads through my work is the nature of memory—how moments that are often fleeting can transform and gain new depth when revisited. Marcel Proust captured this beautifully in one of my favorite quotes:
"The quality of a direct experience always eludes one, and that only in recollection could we grasp its real flavor."
Memory serves as a material in my work, guiding me to explore what lingers and how it evolves over time.
As a viewer, you bring your own memories and understanding, adding layers of meaning to the work. Together, we create an ongoing dialogue that deepens the art itself.
It truly doesn’t get any better than that.
Warmly,
Kathleen
“Memory is the diary we all carry about with us.”
Art is an ongoing voyage—one of discovery, growth, and evolution—a journey that never truly ends.
Mine took a meaningful turn when I moved from the bustling landscapes of Southern California to the quiet beauty of the Central Coast. Here, nestled beside an oak grove and a wildlife preserve, inspiration found me in new forms. California oak trees, rolling hills, and the rhythms of the natural world—day and night—began to shape my work in ways I couldn’t have imagined before the move.
A significant moment came when a large beehive fell from an oak tree in our backyard. At first, the bees swarmed in chaos, needing time to process the collapse. Over the following weeks, their frantic activity softened, and eventually the hive stood silent. I was captivated by the stillness—until, weeks later, wax moths emerged from the seemingly empty structure.
The experience became an unexpected teacher. It spoke of resilience, of adaptation, and of the quiet, ongoing cycles of transformation. It reminded me that what appears still is often alive with unseen change.
Inspiration, I’ve found, is all around us—waiting in the everyday, in nature’s rhythms, and in the spaces we least expect.
This attentiveness to the unseen—what lingers beneath the surface—has become central to my painting practice. I paint from memory, not to recreate the past, but to explore the emotional residue it leaves behind. Faces and figures appear not as portraits, but as impressions—echoes of moments, shaped by the interplay of experience and time.
Process & Statement
Process Video
Artist Statement
I paint from memory—less to capture a moment, and more to explore what lingers beneath it. Faces, figures, and gestures surface in my work not as exact likenesses, but as echoes of experience. They feel familiar and unfamiliar at once, shaped by layers of personal history and emotional weight.
The face carries a language, just as the figure does. Both speak in quiet ways—through posture, presence, and the spaces between. I’m drawn to that language, to what it reveals and what it keeps hidden—to forces that are seen and unseen, known and unknown.
Painting is how I make sense of change. It allows me to hold space for the in-between—for the shifting nature of identity, memory, and self. In that process, I’m not chasing clarity so much as staying present to the evolution. And I hope, within that, others might see a part of themselves, too.
Full Bio - click HERE
“When I saw this painting, I knew I wanted it immediately. It spoke to me - the face is half in shadow and half in light, representing the face we show to the world, and the hidden part of us that no one can see. Brilliant ! I am a big fan of her work.”