Painter Kathleen Elsey Fauvist Expressionist
"Monet's Garden" by Santa Barbara Fauvist, Kathleen Elsey
Painting the Spirit of Place - Kathleen Elsey’s Paintings Head for Taos’ Museum Every year, Kathleen Elsey spends part of September in Taos, New Mexico, teaching, painting and visiting peaceful places. Two of those peaceful paintings, "Taos Mountain Morning" and " Pilar Autumn Afternoon", are now on their way back to the historical and picturesque town of Taos. The New Mexico Plein Air Painters’ Exhibition at Millicent Rogers Museum opens with a reception on October 9th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and runs through November 14th. “I had been in Taos for a week of hot and dry weather. The day I painted Pilar, the sky was different, hazy. I could smell rain on the way. I perched my easel on the same hill in the same place I always stand above Pilar painting the quiet village before the skies opened. ‘Peaceful Mountain Morning’ was painted on my last morning in Taos. The sunrise as it illuminated the mountain was magical. It was a nice way to say good bye until next year.” Kathleen Elsey After over twenty years in the San Francisco area, Kathleen moved to Santa Barbara, California. She is represented by Nancy Dodds Gallery in Carmel, Auld Alliance Gallery in Nashville, and Kathryne’s Design and Showroom in Santa Barbara.
July 27, 2010 Santa Barbara Independent
Kathleen Elsey Painterly Prowess By Elizabeth Schwyzer A SUMMER’S DOZEN: It’s been 12 years since Kathleen Elsey left her job as a designer in San Francisco and set out to paint full time. She hasn’t looked back—until now. This coming weekend, she’ll be opening her studio for a tour that features one painting for every year she’s been at it. Arranged chronologically, these works chart Elsey’s development from acrylic on paper through her transition to canvas and linen, a brief stint with oils, and a return to acrylic. There’s a good balance between figurative works and landscapes, and while these works show her artistic range, there are themes that run throughout: bright color, bold brushstrokes, and a whimsical approach to both medium and subject. At the same time, Elsey’s an accomplished technician. Take for example “Rio Lindo,” from 2000. During this period, the artist stuck strictly to plein air painting, often starting with a bright red under-painting before layering on the subtler tones of earth and sky. Veins of fiery red show through here, delineating the fields and dancing up the flanks of golden hills. Down by the river, diagonal brushstrokes give way to choppier, kinetic lines, as if the water invigorated the surrounding plant life. “Pink Fog Morning,” from the following year, post-dates the attacks of September 11 by three weeks and is by far the darkest work in this show. The artist seems perched on a narrow deck above the ocean, a single railing separating her from the chaos of cliff, rock, and surf far below. Elsey’s most recent works tend toward complex figurative scenes, like “Parade” from 2008, which any Santa Barbara viewer will recognize as Summer Solstice in all its exuberant energy and splashy color. The Past Twelve Years will be on view 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 31, and Sunday, August 1. 
"Stinson Beach, Hot Day" by Santa Barbara Fauvist, Kathleen Elsey
Kathleen Elsey “Brush With Life” Solo Exhibition Divine Inspiration Gallery of Fine Art Santa Barbara, California Infused with vibrant colors, the paintings of Santa Barbara Fauvist, Kathleen Elsey, explore interior spaces, figures, still life, beaches and landscapes. Working both plein air and in her studio, she paints with a vivified palette and brusque brushwork recalling both Fauvist and Impressionist traditions. Her solo exhibition at Divine Inspiration Gallery of Fine Art will feature over fifty of her oil and acrylic works on canvas including the premier exhibition of her figurative works. The exhibition opens on July 1 and runs through August 28 Kathleen Elsey lived in San Francisco and Sonoma, California for over twenty years, as owner of Kathleen Elsey Design Studio Inc. Ten years ago, in 1999, Elsey closed the doors of her design studio in San Francisco to devote her energy to painting, traveling and teaching painting workshops. In 2003, she settled in Santa Barbara with her husband, Victor and her dog, Lulu. In the past year, Elsey’s paintings have been on exhibition at the Albuquerque Museum and the Bakersfield Museum as well as the Salmagundi Art Club in New York City. Her work is also represented by galleries in Carmel, California, Atlanta, Georgia and Hawi, Hawaii. She teaches “Brush with Life” painting workshops in Sonoma and Santa Barbara, California as well as Taos, New Mexico. She is a member of the New Fauves, a group of nine painters from the US and France, committed to the aesthetics and approach of the great French Fauve painters such as Matisse, Marquet, Manguin and Vlaminck. She is a signature member of both the National Association of Women Artists and the American Impressionist Society.
 March 6, 2009Energetically Infused with Vibrant Hues... By Erin J. Smith/CASA SANTA BARBARA CASA MAGAZINE INSIDE/OUTSIDE Energetically infused with vibrant hues, the recent work of painter Kathleen Elsey explores themes of interior and exterior spaces. “It’s about moving the inside outside and the outside inside—that is what people do,” said Elsey, whose solo show Inside Out is currently on display at the Architectural Foundation Gallery through April 10th. “When we go to the beach we bring pieces of our interior worlds outside, our beach blanket, our chairs, our books...” Fourteen months ago Elsey conceptualized the show strictly as a series of interior spaces to compliment the Architectural Foundation’s focus on design and built environments. But as she began working through the paintings, Elsey realized that it’s not just about inside: “I also like to paint outside where people bring the inside out” Elsey pointed to her panting Table in the Oak Grove as an example, where tables and chairs have been set up outdoors almost like a room in a house. “But,” said Elsey, “the trees around you become the walls.” The drive to create has been part of Elsey’s life for as long as she can remember. “When I look I see shape and color, and I always see light. It’s what makes me want to paint,” said Elsey. “With color and light I could be excited to paint anything.” Elsey began college as a math major on scholarship at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, but after taking every art elective she could, she ultimately switched to graphic design. “I always wanted to be an artist, but there was no one to tell me how to make a living with art,” she said. Graphic design seemed to fill the need for working with her hands, and Elsey enjoyed a successful career including owning her own design business in San Francisco for fourteen years. After retiring from graphic design, Elsey has been painting full-time ever since. She also regularly teaches painting workshops in Santa Barbara as well as in Sonoma, and in Taos, New Mexico. “Paintings are recordings of my life. They are my memories,” she said. “If I see something that impresses me, I have to capture it in paint. I work fast to get the feeling down.” Elsey told a story about a time she was outside painting with a friend where she found herself painting a light-infused scene despite the gloomy atmosphere outside. When her friend saw Elsey’s painting, her friend said to her, “Kathleen, you see sunshine everywhere.” Join Elsey at an artist’s reception on Friday, March 6t from 5-7pm at the Architectural Foundation Gallery. The Gallery is located at 229 E. Victoria St. at Garden St. Hours are Tuesday through Friday. For more information visit elsey.com. March 6, 2009 © 2009-2011 Kathleen Elsey. All rights reserved. All paintings are property of Kathleen Elsey and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of Kathleen Elsey. This site was created by Kevin Bonner |
