We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kathleen Beausoleil. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kathleen below.

Kathleen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Individuals like to think about themselves as conspicuously unique personalities. Take a closer look however and it’s pretty clear that we are deeply social animals, biologically programmed for social interaction and territorial tribal behavior. I have been painting crowds and how people gather for 20 years: sporting events, children’s swim meets, beaches and lift lines.

The social and political unrest combined with a dangerous global pandemic posited serious questions about the long-term effects of isolation and lack of access to traditional social relationships. The pandemic with all its restrictions seems to have struck at a fragile time of unprecedented divisiveness and polarized politics that have complicated participation in our basic rights of citizenship, which include voting rights and civil rights along with our constitutional right to peaceful public assembly.
Yet, the urge to express ourselves as socially oriented tribal animals persists. It was an opportunity to reflect on the various ways we gather to express our rights as citizens.

I was observing and learning about where we draw lines in the sand of our moral and ethical responsibilities to each other and to country. By documenting crucial moments of notable protest over the past several years, my works offer glimpses into some of the new ways we struggle to affect positive change. So, what are the long-term repercussions of pandemic isolation in what seems like an ever intensifying political, cultural, and racially polarized American landscape? How will it affect the ways we interact with one and other in the future? How will it impact our right to free speech and the way we exercise our right to peaceful assembly? In an attempt to reconcile the space between us, I made a series of paintings that are visual meditations on these puzzles and challenge us to reflect on our own place in the answers to these questions.

Kathleen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Art is hope. Looking at a great piece of art makes you feel connected to the larger world and lose yourself. I paint people gathering together. My work is a reminder that people are not alone. That we all are connected and need each other. My work is also how I connect and communicate to the world. I paint people I know, and events I attend. When working on commission I get to know my client so they have a painting about their connections and community.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think being a creative requires a lot of discipline. It’s similar to being an athlete which is why it’s often referred to as a creative practice. Like a professional athlete our creative practice is a job but artists don’t have coaches or managers. We are small business owners and need to be able to manage the business end, marketing, sales and creative production.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Every January I listen to “The One Thing” by Garry Keller. This book reminds me how to time manage, do deep work, and the importance of a mentor and accountability.       

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kathleenbeausoleil.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathleenbeausoleil/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleenbeausoleilart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-beausoleil-8594735/