Kathy Kehoe Bambeck

BIO

Kathy Kehoe Bambeck grew up watching a budding amusement park, Disneyland, transform her neighborhood in Southern California and then beyond. That cemented her vision to be an artist at age five. She garnered art awards through elementary and high school and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in ArtlArt History from California State University at Long Beach. Never lacking commissions since her teens, Kathy's impressive body of work includes multitudes of detailed watercolor and pen & ink home portrait commissions; murals, illustration and graphics, photography, Plein Air painting, faux stained glass, the mastery of calligraphy, periods highlighted by bird, mountain, castle, beach and botanical themes, as well as oil portraiture. Over the years, she has participated in many juried art shows and exhibitions....collecting fans everywhere from all walks of life. Since 2016 Kathy's been in her element: licensing. Through her agent, many of her designs are now being used on products worldwide, especially on jigsaw puzzles.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Honestly, I never intended to become an artist. However, I do remember my childhood self being passionate about drawing, playing the piano, and dancing ballet. I recall the two-mile walk to elementary school without today's luxuries of a ride, book bags, earbuds, or fancy walking shoes. To escape boredom as well as my siblings' teasing, I would sketch the neighborhood trees in my head. Fascinated by visual detail, I studied each house we passed, including the cool arched doorway of a Spanish-style home, the rustic shingles of a cottage, the clean lines of modern windows, and even the simplistic images on street signs. As we trudged our way to school, I would study the flowers lining the parkways, the different roofline perspectives, colorful tile and brick patterns. I remember that child getting in trouble for drawing on and carving into the walls during nap time (poor dad) (I wasn't a napper, poor mom).

Recently found boxes revealed tiny paper rolls cut from Dad's company letterhead, filled with my 7-year-old illustrated stories to entertain my five siblings, a kindergarten painting of the Easter bunny with a basket full of baby witches (for some reason, I loved to mingle the holidays), political cartoons for my high school newsletter, and illustrations from the yearbook. I even found the sketches for training posters I was paid $100 for at age 14 by a neighbor who worked for Goodyear Tire, which blew my parents away that I could actually make money from my obsession. I funneled away extra money from babysitting, working retail, and teaching piano and realized my dream of visiting the museums in Europe one summer during college. The day I quit my day job at age 30 was one of my happiest.

Bottom line, art has been a constant in my life, an anchor, and, as I see it, a blessed gift. To follow your bliss isn't being happy all the time. I believe it means striving to be your best self, humbly and truthfully seeking who you were meant to be, not what society or others dictate. Even the delicate ceramic nativity I so loved to arrange at Christmas, though a material object, represents a glimpse through our material world into the spiritual. Art lifts, makes life sparkle, entertains, teaches, and makes us laugh. It reminds us that we are more.

All that said, I'm simply a happy, grateful artist.