Katherine concentrates on the subject
matter to find
the essence or emotion, and translates it onto paper or canvas through
the use of color, form and composition. Preferring to work directly
from life, her plein-air painting is a
natural transition from painting indoor studio portraits from life to
painting the real-life scenes of
nature.
Katherine's plein-air (French for "out of doors" or "in open air") painting is very real, in the sense that she experiences the scene directly and deals with the elements such as the intense afternoon heat, the coolness of the morning, the strength of the wind. She translates her experiences onto paper or canvas, creating the mood or "emotion" of the landscape. Painting from life allows her to stop, look intensely, appreciate the view, and see colors one could never view from a photograph.