Kathleen
Dawson Gallery
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Kathleen at Work
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Kathleen Dawson Gallery
Plein Aire Painter of the Wilderness
Kathleen at Work
"Here I am, hard at work near the Coleman Glacier."
Kathleen Dawson is a representational painter of people, places, animals and the outdoors. Kathleen was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and educated at McGill University in Montreal, University of British Columbia, Toronto School of Art, and the Ontario College of Art. She has travelled and lived in many parts of Canada and has visited much of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany, Mediterranean, Phillipines and China.
For the past twenty-five years Kathleen has divided her time between her paintings and sculpture, her German Shepherd dogs and her horses. An avid outdoors woman Kathleen travels extensively by horseback throughout the wilderness areas of British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon and Alaska where she gathers material for her paintings. Horses go where other means of transportation are impossible. With packhorses to carry paints, easel, food and gear, Kathleen travels deep into the wilderness areas for many days at a time, covering a great variety of terrain and lighting conditions.
In 1972 Kathleen studied watercolour with Danis Meijiz and learned the discipline and control of this highly challenging medium. In 1980 she switched to oil painting when she met the late Karl Wood. Kathleen states that Karl taught her not only the joys of pleine aire painting of the wilderness in broad loose brush strokes and the importance of perfect tone values but also the integrity of the work. Paint what is in front of you. Deal with and challenge yourself with the infinite changes in nature. Painting from life is essential. The receiver has a sense of being there, of feeling the atmosphere.
Kathleen's work is very painterly in style. Her paintings say as much as possible with as few brush strokes as possible and therefore each brush stroke is contemplated carefully. Kathleen is a disciplined and committed artist. You can find her hard at work every day in her studio in Black Creek, British Columbia or travelling on painting expeditions. There is a terrific excitement in our Canadian wilderness and Kathleen's work is focused on capturing some of that excitement.