Matzke Fine Art and Design

Kathleen Secrest, abstracts and landscapes paintings

 

My paintings are the expression of my belief in the importance of having personal interactions with the natural world. For me, the act of painting is the act of observing and responding to not only what is before my eyes, but also to the feelings that arise from those interactions.
Since I believe the environmental problems we face today have been intensified by a lessoning of our culture’s connection to and respect for the natural world, I seek to engage people in thinking about nature. Through abstraction, I hope to encourage them to think about our connection to water, sunlight and other elements of the environment beyond the limits of a representational scene.
Working from nature reminds me this place is one organism, everything connected.
I paint as a way of honoring the organism and the natural beauty around me.
Kathleen has been a painter for more than 30 years. Working in both oil and pastel she has received regional and national awards. She is a signature member of both the Northwest Pastel Society, and the Pastel Society of America, and a juried member of Women Painters of Washington. Her paintings have been exhibited on the east coast in New York and New Hampshire as well as throughout the Pacific Northwest in both group and solo exhibits.
Working for the more than 20 years as an art director, graphic designer and illustrator she has been honored with national, regional and local awards. As Art Director for the University of New Hampshire, she received several CASE awards and as a graphic designer she received several local and regional ADDY Awards.