Kathleen Hooks
Kathleen Hooks has become known for her original oil paintings and encaustic paintings of mesmerizing landscapes and skyscapes.
Kathleen Hooks Biography
Kathleen Hooks resides with her husband on rural farmland in Washington State. Her home and studio overlooks the vast Columbia River Basin, one of the many sources of inspiration for her oil and encaustic landscapes.
Initially a self-taught watercolorist, she pursued her training through extensive reading and experimentation. The concentrated learning process of creating detailed watercolors in the first years was invaluable to her as an artist.
“After mastering technique and the medium, there came a time that I desired to move beyond technical skill to include passion in my art. The landscapes and skyscapes that surround me everyday are a constant source of inspiration and wonder. They can change quickly from peaceful and tranquil to dramatic and stormy. I find that these ever-changing moods and impressions often imitate life.”
Transitioning into a more expressive style in response to her environment, Kathleen began painting in oil and then encaustic. Her goal became not to record an actual place, but rather the sensation and emotion from being there.
Artist Statement
In the path of our everyday lives, we all hope to find special times and places that cause us to slow our pace. I find this peace in the calm radiance of morning or early evening....the time of day when shadows lengthen and textures are emphasized. This light is best to capture the drama and beauty of the rural farmland in which I work and live. In winter, my inspiration is the huge and powerful sky. In summer, irrigation turns desert land into rich rolling fields, lush vineyards and orchards. The landscapes that surround me everyday are a constant source of inspiration and wonder. Their ever-changing moods, from peaceful and tranquil to dramatic and stormy, seem often to imitate life.
My desire is that the viewer experience what I felt.....the cool advance of a gathering storm, the warm richness of the soil or the solitude of a tranquil marsh. But beyond the physical sensations of my paintings, I hope viewers will be reminded to return to that place that gives them peace and causes them to absorb the beauty of their surroundings.