Kathleen Truax Art

Artist's Statement

I paint for the sheer joy of it! Landscapes, Abstractions, Portraits and Figures. Since college, where I majored in History, I have taken art classes at The Cooper School of Art In Cleveland, The Cleveland Institute of Art, Ann O'Hanlon's studio in Mill Valley CA and with Sandra Speidel in Petaluma CA, among others.I have loved to make art in its many forms since childhood. By now there is a storehouse of sights, ideas and feelings that manifests itself in my work.

When I am inspired by nature, I usually paint in a more realistic way. If I'm in the mood to paint abstractly, I allow myself to paint without a plan; just a palette of colors and a painting surface. Then I paint like a child and respond to what emerges. The last 20% is when intellectual considerations come into play. References for figures come either from my mind, images online, or from photos. Having had many years of life drawing, I find that these references are usually enough.

A highlight of my experience as an artist came when my painting "Mariupol" was accepted to the 2023 Open at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. My work has been accepted regularly to shows at the Belvedere-Tiberon Library in Marin County California for both landscapes and abstractions. The painting "The Long Wave" appeared in November at their show called "Art: Pairings and Echoes."

I recently added a page called "War and Peace." I found myself painting not only Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the outset, but also more recently to the violence wreaked by Hamas and Netanyahu. In times of political upheaval artists have often used their craft to speak out. I have occasionally done the same.