Event Photos
Transcript (Unedited)
Tom Heath
Welcome back to another fabulous installment of Meet the Artist. It is our weekly series produced by the Tucson Gallery. We’re inside of the Proper Shops at 300 East Congress in downtown Tucson. We’re across the street from Hotel Congress. We’re next to the playground and the Rialto Theater. Really hard to miss us but come on down if you want to check out some fabulous artwork by some local Tucson artists and every week We do a Meet the Artist event where they come in and chat about their history, their work, meet their fans. Sometimes we even premiere new artwork at these events. We always try to snag a few minutes of their time and do this podcast called Meet the Artist. Today we have, blessed with the very busy, but very excited to have her here, Kathleen Arthur.
Kathleen Arthur
Hi Tom.
Tom Heath
Well, welcome to Meet the Artist.
Kathleen Arthur
Thank you for having me. I’m glad to be here.
Tom Heath
Well, the first thing I need to get off, get cleared up here is you have a very Tucson accent. So I’m assuming you’ve grown up in your whole life in Tucson
Kathleen Arthur
Negative I’ve been in Tucson are in Arizona for 15 years But I was raised in Alabama so that accent will always be with me.
Tom Heath
That’s perfect. Perfect. What, do you mind me asking what brought you to Tucson?
Kathleen Arthur
I came here for a job. I worked for a superior court judge here until he retired. I outlasted five judges in my career Before I retired after 30 years,
Tom Heath
okay, and and have you been painting this whole time or is that something new?
Kathleen Arthur
I have not I took art lessons for years growing up and put my art supplies away when I went to college. And I did not touch a paintbrush for about 80 years. I’m sorry,
Tom Heath
I’m not that old. Wow, you look fabulous. No, it’s 30. 30 years, okay. So while you were working for the judges, you were using your analytical side of your brain, not your artistic side.
Kathleen Arthur
Exactly. I haven’t had really time to develop that side of my brain until after retirement to pay more attention to it. It was always there because I think that there’s a physical aspect to drawing and painting and once you’ve learned that as a child it’s like learning how to ride a bicycle. So the first time is always difficult, but once you learn, you don’t forget. And I think that muscle memory plays a big part in my ability to just pick the paintbrush back up again.
Tom Heath
So then how long have you been retired from the court system?
Kathleen Arthur
I retired in 2017. Okay. And the first year of retirement, I didn’t know what to do, so I remodeled our whole house. And then I wondered what to do next and I began writing children’s books. Oh
Tom Heath
wow.
Kathleen Arthur
Yes, I wrote two children’s books for ages four to eight and about a little character named Horace Henway. And one is one of them is titled Horace Henway Raises a Stink and the other one is Horace Henway brushes it off. And one’s about dental health, and the other one is about digestive health. And I have an elderly puppet character that I use. I take her with me to places, and she’s my alter ego. Her name is my Southern Granny. And so she reads my books for me at libraries and different places. The kids love her. And when I first wrote a book about digestive health, she said, oh Lord, Kathleen, I hope I don’t have to say the F word. And I said, oh granny, you know I wouldn’t do that. I used the word toot instead of F-A-R-T in my Digestive Health book. So she was happy to hear that.
Tom Heath
Wow, we have, you’re much more multi-talented than I thought, you’re just a fabulous painter, but You write books and you do impressions and you probably do some comedy in there too. Look at you. Look at you. So you wrote the books and you’re like, okay, well now I’m a published author, done that, check that box. And then you started painting?
Kathleen Arthur
Then I started painting because each book took me about a year a piece so I needed a break from that and I started painting still lifes and different things but I always said I cannot paint people
Tom Heath
I can
Kathleen Arthur
paint anything but that And because that was such a challenge, what did I do? I started painting people. And so that’s where my art has gone, toward portraiture.
Tom Heath
Well and you have a very distinctive style, at least for what we carried in the gallery and what I’ve seen from you here locally. It’s people, but mostly people.
Kathleen Arthur
I think it goes back to two different things. One goes way back to ancient Rome where the marble art was torso art, where you didn’t
Tom Heath
see
Kathleen Arthur
above the chest
Tom Heath
or the neck area. Yeah, there’s no head, no face.
Kathleen Arthur
And then what really started the You Go Girl collection that I do now is I came across some old paper dolls that I played with as a child. And I got that idea and then I needed a model. Well my model told me she didn’t want her face included in the portraits. And I thought, well, perfect, because I can define the characters by the clothes and the accessories alone. I don’t need to paint her face. And that way, with the paper doll concept, people can put their faces into the portrait and take the portrait’s place. So
Tom Heath
if you haven’t seen it, you can check out some samples on the website TucsonGallery.com or you can head into the gallery. But these are all very elegantly dressed women and they are from the neck down basically and they’re engaged in some sort of activity sometimes sports or gardening and they always seem to at least from a from a my perspective they always seem to be in a position of power. They’re very strong characters.
Kathleen Arthur
Right. And that’s, you know, the interpretation of the art is up to the viewer. My intent behind the paintings was simply painting what I love to do myself. A lot of these characters are doing things I have done and I enjoy doing. And it’s you know just just portrays a capable well-rounded woman. So
Tom Heath
are you a boxer?
Kathleen Arthur
I have done boxing. I mainly like kickboxing but I have done boxing. I’ve done performance car, high performance car racing, which you’ll see some of the automotive repairs and some of my portraits that I like to do.
Tom Heath
Yeah, and so if you haven’t, again, you got to check the work out. It kind of speaks for itself there, but they’re just very engaging. They’ve got a lot of props that they’re using. And the imagery is really just bright and vivid. And I understand that you have a model and you have the accessories. This isn’t like drawn from memory. You actually lay this out and paint someone’s doing this activity in that clothing.
Kathleen Arthur
Right. A lot of the process of my paintings is actually thinking. Thinking of the ideas and what accessories I would like to use and then gathering those somehow. Sometimes I find things in antique shops
Tom Heath
and
Kathleen Arthur
some of the clothes I we buy online some we already have.
Tom Heath
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And they’re always perfectly titled. So the there’s one where there’s the images with a boxing glove and I think it’s called a knockout.
Kathleen Arthur
Right.
Tom Heath
And you’ve got one with jumper cables and it’s self-starter.
Kathleen Arthur
Right. They all denote strong characteristics of a woman’s personality. And my husband says it’s me I’m describing. But the interesting thing is I actually come up with the double tendres titles, and that’s something my husband could pronounce better because he speaks fluent French. But it just means that It has a double meaning. I come up with the titles before I ever begin the painting. That
Tom Heath
was my next question, which came first? Because I could see that the painting could very easily come from the title, but I could also see you just sitting there staring at this work and going, got it.
Kathleen Arthur
Right. I think most artists probably title the painting after it’s completed.
Tom Heath
But you, uh, you kind of start with this and it’s, it’s a self starter. And, but what does that look like? Like, like can you walk me through how you got to self starter? Is that,
Kathleen Arthur
well, I have to admit that I have had dead batteries in the past when I was younger I haven’t done it recently had that happen recently, but I have had to jump my own car off before But all these paintings are actually painted in My mind’s eye. Mm-hmm every stroke before I ever touch the canvas.
Tom Heath
So you start with the title, okay, it’s gonna be self-starter. But at that point you don’t know it’s jumper cables yet, do you?
Kathleen Arthur
No, I don’t. I think of several things that the title could fit with. I have to choose one, and a lot of times, I run it by my best advisors, which is my husband and my daughter. And they help me with
Tom Heath
that. Okay, yeah, it’s really fun. I think the titles really capture people it brings it draws them into that picture a lot more because it It’s that double meaning, you know, it’s it’s you can clearly see what’s happening in the photo But then it’s also something about that characteristic of that of the the model that that you’re portraying in that It’s really fun. Right Really fun.
Kathleen Arthur
Thank you. I enjoy doing it. I hope I’m able to continue sharing my art with the world and using my God-given talent as long as I’m able.
Tom Heath
Yeah. And I tell you, you know, you were I think you were probably the fastest selling artist that we had here because we put up one of your originals and it sold the second day it was up and we put the second one up and it sold a couple of days later. And then the third one, we’re like, Kathleen, we need more. We need more. We need more. So I appreciate you keep churning those out. But you and you’re in other places too. You’re not just in the gallery, you’re part of the Saga experience up at La Encantada.
Kathleen Arthur
Yes, I have some art at there and I also have Paloma Art Gallery, which is owned by the Sarnoffs. They’ve been in Tucson for a long, long time in the art scene.
Tom Heath
Yeah, they’ve certainly been pretty impactful in the art world.
Tom Heath
They all have different originals and you’ve got different works in each one. We should probably get a list, because people come in and ask for certain things, and I’m like, I don’t know if she has that available or not, but it’d be nice to be able to point them to another gallery, because you have the prints in the store. And it’d be nice to say, Oh, if you want the original, it’s at the line cantata’s store and send them up there. Yeah.
Kathleen Arthur
So, um, we’re working on getting more in the Tucson gallery. So eventually I think we’ll have all of them down here.
Tom Heath
Oh, good.
Kathleen Arthur
Space allows
Tom Heath
good. Oh yeah. Well, The way they’re selling, we’re not getting much space, so just put one up and then it goes. So a lot of the artists we’ve talked to, they sort of had this inkling from a young age and they nurtured it and then at some point it became their career. And you’re taking a different approach. You’ve had the urge, but then you pack things away and you went ahead and did this whole thing with the courts and, you know, save the world or, or, you know, whatever you were doing, but, but then you got back into it. So there, there are other people I think that are in your situation that maybe are looking to wind down a career and they have an artistic side. Is there any sort of, was there anything that you learned along the way that you wish you had done differently or things you did well that could kind of guide them?
Kathleen Arthur
Well, I think that it’s a stress reducer, you know, for me too. I can spend hours in my studio, and I can spend four hours in my studio, and it seems like 15 minutes. So I think that it’s good for people who are looking to relax more. You know, art therapy is a real thing and it helps people with PTSD, it
Tom Heath
helps
Kathleen Arthur
overactive children with short attention spans, it Helps with everyday adults like us Reduce stress and so I would say if you have some creative abilities at all of it And and you want to relax it’s a good way
Tom Heath
Yeah and and then they’re like have you have you just been sort of isolated in your studio? Or do you get out and you network with other artists or how do you?
Kathleen Arthur
Well, I go to Events for the artists that are in the different galleries that I’m in and so I mingle that way Of course, no, I don’t just you know, hold away in my studio, but if I am MIA, my family knows where to find me. PAUL
Tom Heath
So if you’re trying to get started, I’m just always curious as to how much role the community plays in helping you get your work going. Because a lot of this is your inspiration, which you mentioned. You’ve got your family that gives you guidance. You’ve got a whole career behind you that kind of gives you some influence. Do you see sort of that professional side of you? Does that come out in your artwork? Is that kind of part of this?
Kathleen Arthur
I think it does. I think that’s part of the whole dressing to the hilt thing because for years, for 30 years, not 80, I had to dress up in heels and business dresses
Kathleen Arthur
and portray that business-like demeanor. But unlike my portraits, I was supposed to blend in with the furniture in my career and really not be noticed until I had to speak up in the courtroom, which I learned to not be shy about. But the clothes had to be pretty drab in the courtroom. And so I think that now I’m really expressing myself in with the vibrant colors. Yeah,
Tom Heath
there’s there’s nothing drab about your work. It is it is bright, eye catching. People are going to get drawn. Well, people are getting drawn to it as soon as they see it. So there’s nothing drab about it. But it’s interesting. Do you have any of your images, are they any in professional settings? Because they all seem to be, you know, they’re very active. Do you have any that are in a courtroom or in a workplace setting? Dr. Pollard I,
Kathleen Arthur
I, one of my upcoming portraits is a judge, a female judge. Okay, yeah. And so, that caters to a very small percentage of society, but I’ve known a lot of female judges in my career, and I think that would appeal to them, as well as lawyers.
Tom Heath
And that’s still to come, you don’t have that finished yet.
Kathleen Arthur
No, that’s on the list. And I take a lot of hints and suggestions from fans and I’m getting to them, I promise, but I only do about one painting every three or four weeks currently. Okay.
Tom Heath
And at the Meet the Artist event here, it’s at the end of May, we’re about to unveil a new work. This won’t air prior to that, so Can you tell us a little about the work we’re going to see tonight?
Kathleen Arthur
Tonight I have a brand new painting I just finished a couple of days ago. We’re going to unveil that tonight. And the title of it is Game Changer. I had several titles that I began with before I settled on that title and shooting from the hip was one of them so that might give you an idea of what sport this lady is. I have note cards of all the paintings and prints, but tonight probably the newest thing would be Game Changer. Game
Tom Heath
Changer, yeah. So we’ll unveil that tonight, and by the time this podcast is released, it’ll be available in the world, if it’s still available. But it’s a remarkable painting, and it involves a basketball and some…
Kathleen Arthur
Oh, you let the cat out of the bag.
Tom Heath
Well, I think the cat will be out by the time we open this. This will get unveiled before we air the show. We
Kathleen Arthur
do have one other special surprise tonight and that is one of my models will be here making a painting titled High Octane basically come to life. She’ll be walking around here. I
Tom Heath
think High Octane was the very first painting we saw. That one was really fun. It was very interesting because you mentioned earlier it’s the perspective of the viewer that really sort of interprets the art. And we had people that saw it as a very strong character. We had people that viewed it as someone in need of help. And the ultimate, I can remember calling you and saying, which one was it? And you’re like, it’s whatever they think it is.
Kathleen Arthur
Yeah, it’s up for interpretation. But you know, my intent was that the lady simply ran out of gas. And she was on her way, she was on a trip because you could see her standing on a suitcase. But about half the people see it completely opposite way that she’s a scorned lover and she’s going to burn something down.
Tom Heath
Yeah, it was it was interesting because we got both of those perspectives and people would talk about that like, oh, she just broke down and needs to gas. And I was like, oh, no, this there’s an intent behind here.
Kathleen Arthur
She’s she’s it’s interesting to hear people’s interpretation. Oh,
Tom Heath
it’s beautiful that you put that out there in a way that gives them that opportunity to do so. So we are a pleasure to have you in this evening. If you want to see more of her work, you can head over to the TucsonGallery.com and check out what we have available for like High octane is still there for reproductions, although the original is gone, as well as many of her other works. But how do people find you and follow you? Are you on social media? Do you have a website? I
Kathleen Arthur
have Instagram, karthurart, and I have a website, karthurart.com.
Kathleen Arthur
And so those two ways are the best ways on social media to find me. All
Tom Heath
right, and if you want to see some of the work, you can head down to the Tucson Gallery, 300 East Congress in downtown Tucson. And get here quick, because the originals seem to go pretty fast. But we do have a lot for reproductions in different sizes and formats on our website, tucsongallery.com. So really appreciate your time today and look forward to the rest of the evening here.
Kathleen Arthur
Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. Thanks for having me Tom. It’s been fun.
Tom Heath
Thank you for listening to Meet the Artist. This is a weekly production by the Tucson Gallery located inside of the proper shops at 300 East Conger Street in Tucson, Arizona. The mission of the Tucson Gallery is to support local artists by providing a space to show their art, a forum to engage with their audience, a virtual presence to connect with global patrons, an outlet to earn a fair price, and an opportunity to hone their business skills. Head over to thetucsongallery.com for more information about our live events, listen to other Meet the Artist podcasts, and check out the wide selection of art, gifts, and other items created by Tucson’s modern, thought-provoking, and forward-thinking artists.