Katherine Blakeslee

My watercolor paintings reflect my fascination with light and that magical line where the sky meets the earth and sea, whether on a river in Cambodia or Vietnam or at the ocean closer to home. The sea has been a significant part of my life since learning to swim there and experiencing it as a living connection to other parts of the world. I also am intrigued by the places across the world which others call home, from Morocco to Afghanistan.

I am drawn to the interplay between light and mood in atmospheric landscapes, both serene and stormy. Watercolor is an ideal medium through which to create layers of light, mood and movement. I enjoy the constant edge between the artist and the medium inherent in watercolor, particularly in wet-on-wet painting, which can be controlled by neither, but depends upon on true co-creation.

Creativity has always been a large part of my life. A forgotten picture I painted as a child, that my father saved, inspired my exploration of watercolor much later in life. After working for many years in a different profession, I joined the community of artists in the Foundry Gallery and now am pursuing painting along with my international work. I am self-taught with no formal training in painting; my imagination as well as experiences and images from my international travels often provide inspiration. During the past two years, I have explored capturing places and moods through both realistic and more abstract styles. I paint at home in Washington, DC or sometimes where my travels take me.

Katherine Blakeslee lives and works in Washington DC. She is a graduate of Wellesley College with a B.A. in Sociology. Her work has been reviewed in the Northwest Current, Washington DC, December 29, 2010 and the Examiner Newspaper, Washington DC, February 25-26, 2011.

Exhibitions include:

• Group Auction, Foundry Gallery, Washington, DC, September 2009
• USAID Artists Exhibit, Ronald Reagan Building, Washington, DC, 2009
• Washington DC Group Show, Go Mama Go, Washington, DC, December 2009
• New Members Show, Foundry Gallery, Washington DC, February 2010
• “Celebrating Gay Marriage,” Juried Show, Foundry Gallery, Washington, DC, January 2011
• “Touch Points,” Solo Show, Foundry Gallery, Washington, DC, March 2011
• Group Shows, Foundry Gallery, Washington, DC -- December 2009, January 2010, March 2010, April 2010, May 2010, June 2010, August 2010, September 2010, November 2010, December 2010, April 2011, May 2011, June 2011, July 2011, and August 2011