We were lucky to catch up with Kathleen Strukoff recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kathleen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My mother believed anything was possible and probably unrealistically believed in whatever we wanted to do.  My father gave me a dose of practicality and certainly instilled in me a very strong work ethic.

I was a Creative child, but my father was a banker. He usually was very strict and direct about what he thought I should do. However, when I was going to college, I wanted to major in art and he did not put his foot down in his usual way but instead kept saying to me gently “doing art might be a hard way to make a living, honey“. Because he did not dictate to me NOT study art, I actually listened to him and overtime moved into the direction of getting a business degree.

That allowed me to make a good living so that when I wanted to pursue my art, I could have the freedom to paint what moved me versus what I thought would sell. This took a lot of pressure off, and when I retired and began to run my art business full time, my business background proved very valuable.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I fell in love with art as a fairly young child and began painting when I was about 11 years old. What captivated me initially was the beautiful scenery in northern New Mexico where I lived. I felt like I was creating magic when I could re-create a beautiful scene on canvas.   I still feel that way. It constantly amazes me and I try to convey that sense of wonder in my paintings.

So many people, including my collectors tell me they wish they had the ability to do that, so I never take that gift for granted.

I am most proud of the fact that I have been able to forge many wonderful relationships and friendships with my collectors. Many of them have several of my paintings and that trust and belief is very special to me.

There are many very talented artists in the world so it is sometimes a challenge to figure out what sets you apart not only for your own motivation and psyche but also from a marketing perspective to appeal to collectors.  From a technique perspective, I think what sets me apart is I have a style of painting that uses bold colors with a lot of thick and chunky paint applied with a palette knife in a somewhat abstracted impressionistic style. I call myself a “modern impressionist”.

I am always trying to convey a story in my paintings. That story is usually about a time and place. The time might be the time of day or it might be capturing an abandoned or vintage place from a different era. Viewers of my work tell me that my paintings evoke a strong sensory experience and/or memory for them. There is often a strong emotional connection or reaction.

I love to paint en plein air/on location but often paint in my studio as well. The majority of my work is from my own inspiration but I often do commissions as well. One of my favorite things to do is to paint on the street and engage in the excitement people have when they see somebody creating something on the spot.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

If you collect art in a small way or a large way, try to buy most of your art from local artists who are working so hard and are amazingly resourceful in order to survive. The unlimited positive energy they have always amazes me even when there isn’t a lot of local support.

Additionally, if local business owners and local governments can help provide affordable studio spaces for artists to work and exhibit, that provides a vibrant art scene that benefits everyone in the community. Many locations now are so challenging for artist to be able to afford to have a place to create.

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

It may be helpful to know that many of us on the surface might appear to be non-creative as we were making a living in order to support our art habit.  I know many artists who had very different careers that you would not expect would mesh with an artistic mindset. If you believe you are a non-creative but have an interest, you might have untapped potential that has been submerged in order to live your regular life. Explore that side of yourself and don’t be afraid to try it out!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.Kathleenstrukoff.com
• Instagram: @lachicaart
• Facebook: Kathleenstrukoff
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kathleenstrukoff7407?si=DRT8xGP1lMoWMrHE