ARTIST STATEMENT

Painting murals is my passion. I grew up painting on walls in my home as a kid, and ever since, the sight of a primed white wall is something that I get very excited about. I paint simply for the love of paint and of the brush. The constant changes and challenges of bringing studies of nature and mankind to light is a part of my artwork that I look forward to. Obtaining a degree in Biology has also deepened this influence. I am inspired by all of the extraordinary art and especially murals that I have seen in different parts of France and Italy. I love and admire the works of Rubens, Delacroix, Tintoretto, and James Rosenquist, to say a few. 

Finding the right subject, to paint, is the largest and most important process for me. I pour through photos, books and magazines, until I find a subject that inspires me and that grabs my attention. I usually combine many different pictures; for instance, I find the perfect photo of a female subject and use a different picture for her eyes, hands, etc. I will alter these pictures to achieve a final composition. From there I grid out my design and divide it into 4'x8' segments, that when all put together will make up the final mural. I then begin going up and down a ladder painting the first panel using a specially designed easel, which can allow me to paint more than one panel at a time.

I enjoy working with both acrylics and oil paints. I tend to use oils for the more dramatic paintings, because for me, oil paints are rich and full of character. Acrylics, however, bring out a bright intensity of color in the painting. I love the boldness in the acrylic color and it’s display on a painting, which are based on subjects in nature. Painting large is very important to me and something that I am always striving to do.

In my artwork, I try and display the world around us in a unique, and what I hope to be an intense way. All the beauty and details in life, from a single blade of grass to the deep wrinkles in a face constantly confront me. All of these things can speak volumes and yet are so often passed by. In painting these subjects in a large medium there is a great deal more brought to attention. This is what I love to do and continuously strive to do better.

Kathryn Wiegers

Kathryn grew up in Maryland and has lived the last 10 years in Vermont. She studied Biology at Messiah College in PA, and received a BA in Natural Science from Castleton College in VT.  At College she was able to obtain a better understanding of the human anatomy through her courses and observation in surgery at the Carlisle Hospital. This along with several trips to Venice, Rome, Milan, Florence, and Paris studying the art, has inspired her painting. Kathryn’s artwork and murals can be seen throughout VT.