Kathy Edmonston

As a child, I loved to draw but never had the opportunity to explore that love, or to develop deeper skills. In 2005, shortly after the death of my mother, I signed up for a class in pastel painting, looking for distraction and hoping for some solace.  Pastel was the key that unlocked my love of color and desire to work with my hands. The door to my new life as an artist was opened. 

My education has consisted of many classes and workshops on Cape Cod and around New England, as well as in France and Ireland.  I have studied with many renowned artists including Susan Ogilvie, Rosalie Nadeau, Aline Ordman, Liz Haywood-Sullivan, Elizabeth Mowry, Mary Moquin, Ed Chesnovitch and Paul Foxton, among others. I also studied Drawing at the Rhode Island School of Design.  In recent years, I have begun painting in oil, as well as pastel.

My work often expresses the intimate place in the landscape, or the dramatic edge in a still life. 

My creative process has evolved over time.  Depending on my subject or goal, I typically establish my composition with thumbnails or a value study and then move on to creating an underpainting with texture. With pastels, that texture can be anything from ‘dribbling’ acrylic paint in defined areas to applying grit mixed with a medium in others.  In oil, I may use cold wax or other medium to create texture and depth, sometimes scratching back into the surface.  Then I begin applying pastels or oil paint in layers, responding to the texture and marks until I am happy with the result.

Finding art as a personal expression has afforded me growth and great satisfaction. It has also connected me to a wonderful community of fellow artists.  My goal is to continue this artistic journey with an open mind and heart to see where it leads me. 

AWARDS 

• Best of Show, Coastline, Lexington Arts & Crafts Society, 2022
• Best of Show, FIRSTS, 2021 Cape Cod Museum of Art
• First Place, Pastel, All New England, 2020, Cape Cod Art Center
• Second Place Pastel, The National, 2015, Cape Cod Art Association
• Jack Richeson Award, For Pastels Only on Cape Cod, 2013
• Honorable Mention, Pastels, In Like a Lion, 2009, Cape Cod Art Association
• NH Pastel Society Award, For Pastels Only on Cape Cod, 2010
• Second Runner Up, Best in Show, For Pastels Only on Cape Cod, 2009, Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod
• Honorable Mention, Pastels, National Exhibition, 2008, Cape Cod Art Association
• Honorable Mention, Pastels, All New England Exhibition, 2007, Cape Cod Art Association
• Honorable Mention, Pastels, Visions Show, 2008, Cape Cod Art Association
• Second Place, Pastels, Student Exhibit, 2006, Cape Cod Art Association

MEDIA

• Artist Profile in the Cape Cod Arts Annual magazine, 2011
• Chronicle WCVB-TV; Gallery Artrio* was featured in 2017
• Two articles on Gallery Artrio* in local newspapers: Cape Cod Times, 2013 and Barnstable Patriot, 2019 (Kathy was co-owner of Gallery Artrio in Hyannis, 2013-2019)

AFFILIATIONS

• Juried Master Artist, Cape Cod Art Center
•  Member, Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod, Board Member, 2005-2012
• Member, Cotuit Center for the Arts
• Member, Central Massachusetts Pastel Society