Meet Kathleen Kemly

Color and movement are the first things you notice about Kathleen Kemly’s paintings 

Her lush landscapes convey an immediacy of place and time. Kathleen finds herself not just inspired, but encompassed by nature. She seeks to convey the feeling one has of being both the still-center and part of the great, wheeling world around us. She attempts to capture this sense in her landscape paintings.

“Lately, I have been thinking about mycelium, the vast and complex threads of fungus that link all life in nature. The fruit of mycelium are mushrooms, but more importantly they connect all living flora in the whole complex network of the forest, grasslands and in our gardens.

“This network is what I try to tap into with my paintings. When I am inspired by a beautiful place, it is not just the beauty, it is all the life connected that is exciting. The forest cycle of growth and decay nurture plant and animal life, the sky moving above brings life giving rain, sun and energy. The forest is where I find my comfort and solace, to know that I am part of this great web of life.”

-- Kathleen Kemly

 

Kathleen began her art career as an illustrator for children’s literature. Her lively full-color art works have illustrated many books, as well as countless magazine articles.

A backpacking trip on Mt. Rainier’s Wonderland Trail awakened Kathleen’s awe and reverence for nature’s beauty. She has been hiking and painting the Northwest landscape ever since. Kathleen’s paintings have been in many group and solo shows in Seattle, Twisp, and the Skagit Valley.

Kathleen Kemly received her BFA in illustration from Parsons School of Design, NYC; she has continued her study of painting at Gage Academy, Seattle. She has illustrated many award-winning children's books, most recently Molly, By Golly! by Dianne Ochiltree.

Kathleen is inspired by many artists; Emily Carr, Lucinda Parker, and the Canadian Group of Seven. She is currently looking at early Mondrian drawings, David Hockney’s experiments in depicting space and Marsden Hartley. She is also involved with two critique groups: one that began as a children’s book group and has grown over the years to accommodate many other forms of art, including painting, sculpting, writing and illustration and her fine art critique group, led by friend and mentor, painter Terry Furchgott.