By Julie Osterman
When it comes to her canvases, abstract painter Kathleen Earthrowl believes bigger is better. She works primarily in her studio at home—which is complete with a glass roof—and prefers to create large-scale works featuring water and wild vegetation. “If a painting gets too big for my studio, I go out in the garage,” she says. “But there’s lots of light and space here.” The artist majored in music and dance in college before attending the Art Students’ League in New York and studying with painters such as Wolf Kahn. But Earthrowl sees painting as an extension of the time she spent in the performing arts. “In fact, I say all the time that painting for me is most like choreographing a dance,” she says, “because of the movement and stillness and lots of variation in texture.”
A trip to Giverny, France, last fall has provided Earthrowl with a wealth of material for her recent artistic endeavors. “It inspired me to use a lot more paint,” says the artist, who admires the work of Monet, Cezanne, and Bonnard, among others. A show featuring Earthrowl’s work hangs May 28-June 25 at Hunter-Kirkland Contemporary Gallery, Santa Fe, NM. She is also represented by Harris Gallery, Houston, TX; Allen Sheppard Gallery, New York, NY; and Coconut Grove Gallery, Miami, FL.
Featured in “Artists to Watch” April 2004