Kathleen Best Gillman
Building 9, Arches Gallery
www.VeryBestFineArt.com | VeryBestFineArt@gmail.com
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Medium: Painting (oils, acrylics, pastels) and Drawing (charcoal, colored pencil, etc.)
Cascade
Butterflies Ecquador
Fly Fishing Only
Hidden in Layers
Transforming Light
Jennie's Sugar Pot
Stopping on the Journey
Tidal Reflections
March Thaw
Wilderness Wetlands
Background
If some of Kathleen Best Gillmann's artwork reminds you of New England, that’s no accident! Ms. Gillmann grew up in two of Maine’s most beautiful resorts: Kennebunk and Rangeley. She still remembers learning to paint snow shadows with blue tempera in third grade. In high school, Kathleen took art as often as she could, sometimes swapping a study hall period for drawing time in the art studio. Her university studies in Studio Art and Art Education included a strong foundation in art history, drawing from life, painting, weaving and more. As she matured, she developed a profound respect for the outdoors and love of natural, unspoiled places which today she chooses to celebrate in her artwork. After a career in museums, business, and libraries (she earned an MLS in 1991), Kathleen transitioned to fine art 18 years ago and has been an active member of the Art League since 2005 and the Workhouse Arts Center since 2010. She maintains her studio in Burke, VA and exhibits her work regionally. She has received many awards for her contemporary waterscapes, still life, and atmospheric landscapes filled with subtle and rich colors. Ms. Gillmann's work is held in private and government collections.
Philosophy
I follow the motto of painting and drawing what I know best and love the most. Growing up in New England helped shape me as an outdoor enthusiast and instill in me a profound respect for nature. These predilections still inform my artwork resulting in contemporary coastal scenes, luminous skies, and lush and subtly colored landscapes and still life work. There is a surplus of bad news in the world; as an artist, I don’t want to focus on that. I want to lift the spirits of those who view my artwork. In the best possible of worlds, I would like those who view my art to pause, reflect, and rediscover an experience of wonder, perhaps joy. Consider the complexity and ability of your own hands. Pause to listen to a cardinal’s bold song. Watch with curiosity a snail move almost imperceptibly across a smooth rock in a tide pool. For me, all these experiences – and I’ve had them all - have resulted in a sense of wonder at this amazing world. Capturing this wonder is why I paint. Many of us were more aware of wonder as children, but wonder is not the exclusive purview of youth!