Kathy O’Leary began serious study of art in college in the mid 60’s. However, her focus on “Commercial Art” brought disenchantment with the whole field of art. Eventually she put away her pencils and brushes and directed her efforts toward other studies, work and raising a family. In the late 80’s she returned once again to her art and has been working at it full time ever since.

During the course of her reintroduction to art she experimented with different mediums, watercolor, pastel and oils. Once she moved to a studio in Old Town Eureka and began working exclusively in oils she realized she had found the perfect medium as well as a great space to work through her artistic vision. She says, “since my current focus is on painting the landscape, working in oils allows me to work quickly in the field, experiment with brush strokes and composition, and depict the richness and depth of colors and extremes of light and dark that I am so drawn to.”

Along with her plein air work Kathy produces larger format paintings from studies and her digital photography, as well as studio subjects such as still lifes and figures. However, painting on location, has become her favorite painting experience. “There my work comes as a response to my total environment as I paint the scene, the bird and insect sounds, the smell of the plants and the earth, the feel of the wind.” After going on a 10 day “extreme” plein air painting trip to Yosemite, two years in a row, (the first year, under mostly snowy and rainy conditions) she learned that painting on location doesn’t require a perfect environment. The trips instead added to her confidence as a painter, and love of the plein air experience.

The landscape of California’s rural ranchlands, parks and land conservancy areas have become some of her favorite subjects to paint and photograph. Each year she takes several trips through out the state to paint on location and develop new and fresh images for her larger landscape paintings.