Kathleen McCarty, Rumba, 2026, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 x 1.5 in

Kathleen McCarty is an abstract painter interested in creating work that uplifts and energizes a space through color and presence. Her paintings develop through a process of discovery, in which she releases control and allows color, movement, and composition to guide her toward unexpected outcomes.

She grew up in Wisconsin and earned her BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, including a year of study in Florence, Italy. After graduation, she moved west and eventually settled in Northwest Washington, where she has lived for many years. The Skagit Valley's coastal light, waterways, and landscape continue to deeply influence her work.

A key shift in her practice came when she began working on raw canvas laid on the floor rather than prepared canvas on the wall. Through pouring and staining, each layer interacts organically with the next. Working without a fixed plan, she allows each painting to reveal itself over time.

Her daily three-and-a-half-mile morning walk-through water, cliffs, cedar forests, and wildlife-is a significant source of inspiration. Each walk offers a different experience, which she carries back into the studio as energy, observation, and momentum.