Paint What You Love

nationally acclaimed artist Kathleen Dunphy paints with a passion that soulfully radiates her reverence for the natural world and a focus that has landed her career on a rising trajectory.

Kathleen’s devotion to her work is evident in the proliferation of her paintings of landscapes and animals, her frequent participation in distinguished national exhibitions, and her popularity as an instructor to students of all levels. Most recently, she demonstrated at Plein Air Live, the four-day online plein air teaching event attended virtually by thousands that wrapped up last week. She will present three-day “Signature Artist in Residence” Laguna Plein Air Painting Workshop June 6-8, 2023.

Kathleen Dunphy works up a larger landscape while her studio assistant stands ready to help

Kathleen has earned signature status with the Society of Animal Artists, the California Art Club, Oil Painters of America, the American Impressionist Society, Laguna Plein Air Painters, the American Society of Marine Artists, and Artists for Conservation. In 2012, she was honored with being asked to join the prestigious Plein Air Painters of America, where she served as vice president from 2016-2017.

Kathleen is unusual as a plein air painter in that she’s in demand for both her landscapes and her paintings of animals. Our interview started with an equation about that dual specialization and how it came to be. I asked what led her to have those two particular areas of expertise (animals and landscapes).

Kathleen Dunphy, Groundskeepers, oil, 12×25.5 inches

Inside Art: They seem very different; do you see any interesting similarities in terms of technique involved in painting them?

They are different disciplines and I really treat them as such –I very rarely combine animals into the landscape where the animal is just an accent in a larger scene. When I see an animal, everything else stops and all of my focus goes to the animal. I think that’s why I’m not so concerned with elaborate or complex backgrounds on my animal art; I just want the creature to be the sole intent of the artwork. 

The same idea holds true for my landscapes: usually I’m focused on dramatic light and/or atmosphere and I don’t want a living creature to interrupt that train of thought. 

 

My approach to both subjects involves one key element in common: working from life. I can’t paint a larger studio landscape with conviction unless I’ve painted the scene en plein air, and I can’t accurately convey an animal’s physical form and natural habits unless I’ve carefully observed it and made several sketches from life.

Condor studies, from Kathleen Dunphy’s sketchbook

How does the sketchbook fit into your routine?

 

I love to draw! My sketchbook is my daily dairy, sometimes just scribbles and notes, sometimes more complete drawings, either from life or photo reference. This year (after taking a Dina Brodsky online sketchbook habit class), I’ve given myself the luxury of spending more time with my sketchbook.

Kathleen Dunphy, Sundance Study, oil, 8×10 inches

 

I have always felt a little guilty and self-indulgent when I just draw for the sake of drawing and fool around with different ideas, but I’m finding that it really feeds my creative soul and just makes me so happy. Sketching lights the fire of my imagination and opens me up to different possibilities beyond the obvious.

You’ve built quite a successful career, and your work seems to always be evolving and improving. What do you do to grow as an artist and improve your work?

Any success I’ve had has honestly come from constantly pursuing something just out of my reach. Every step on the ladder of learning just allows you to see further and realize what might be possible if you just worked hard enough at it. There’s so much to learn!!

I love taking classes, being a student, and trying new things. It’s so easy to get complacent if you start to have some success with your work, but I really feel like that’s the death knell for so many artists. You just have to keep pushing forward…plus, it’s so exciting to finally be able to do something that you’ve been struggling with for a long time.

Kathleen Dunopjy, oil, Lift Off

We are so blessed as artists to have this constant, unreachable goal of being the best artist we can possible be….we will never be bored and will always have something interesting and challenging to occupy our time.

Do you have any thoughts on the place of creativity and art in a life well-lived?

Art and creativity have always been such a part of my life that I just wouldn’t exist without them. I find it so interesting that, since time immemorial, mankind has been compelled to make marks that represent his existence. Cavemen picked up burnt sticks and drew mastodons, and there was really no life-sustaining reason for that. But somehow, art must be fundamental to us all if it’s been around since humankind first existed.