Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathleen Rietz.
Kathleen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always known I wanted to be an artist. Growing up, it was part of my identity. I loved playing in nature, noticing how sunlight sparkled on rippling water, the glow of the morning mist suspended in the sun light streaming across my mother’s garden, the flowers creating long, blue shadows. I loved solitude and letting imagination guide my thoughts and the way I moved through life.
I am still very much the same. I attended art school in Chicago and went on to have a successful freelance career as a commercial artist for three decades. On weekends and during my downtime, I painted with watercolors and drew with graphite. I sometimes took jobs teaching art. And when my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, art became an outlet for my anxiety and grief. I picked up a few canvases from the store and began painting with acrylic paints, and I was hooked. That significant period of my life is what informed the art that I make today. I still find my art studio to be a place where I can pour out whatever is in my heart and make sense of the world around me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Making a career as an artist has not been a smooth road. People consider art a luxury, not a necessity like clothes and food, so buying habits are shaped very much by the economy and world events. I have found that it helps to have many creative aspects of art going at once, such as creating online courses and teaching, growing a YouTube channel, painting, mentoring others, selling at outdoor shows, galleries and other events. It has not been an easy career path, but the rewards certainly outweigh any of the difficulties I have encountered all these years.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am known for my floral and abstract mixed media paintings. My work is colorful, experimental and soulful, and I am constantly trying new approaches to the mediums I use in my art practice. I am proud of the community of artists whose practices I have helped shape through my teaching, both in my art courses and via my YouTube channel. I find as much joy in teaching others as I do from painting.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
For me, success is making a positive difference in the lives of others. I enjoy seeing people embrace healing, life-giving art practices of their own. Success is answering the calling that I believe God set before me since the beginning of time – answering the call to create beautiful art and spread the joy of creating with others. That is a gift I can confidently leave to this world when my work here is done.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kathleenrietz.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathleen_rietz_artist/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kathleen_rietz_artist
