Meet the Cover Artist Kathy Anderson

In this issue's cover image, vibrant orange nasturtiums and cosmos, lush white and yellow snapdragons and bright pink zinnias grow in a warm, harmonious blend captured by artist Kathy Anderson's painting, "Summer's Bounty." The painting is an example of what Anderson means by saying her "passion for painting is rooted in her garden." Her use of light and translucent colors in her paintings reflects her awe of the natural world. Outdoors at her easel, she paints from real life. &emsp;Anderson credits renowned painter Richard Schmid with shaping her art. She was part of the Putney Painters, mentored by Schmid. &emsp;"As our mentor, he changed my life completely, sending me on a path I'm not sure I would have gone down without him," she shares. He has changed many artists' lives in the Putney group, she adds. She remembers a significant past art show in Sherman, Connecticut, where Schmid bought one of her paintings. This led to an invitation to join the Putney group he mentored. &emsp;Anderson began her career with watercolors in her earlier years, but she now prefers painting in oils. &emsp;"I love the feeling of pushing the paint around," she explains, noting that the slower drying time of oils allows for changes to the piece—unlike watercolors, which dry quickly. &emsp;Anderson grew up in West Hempstead in Long Island, New York, where her mother was a gardener with a fence full of roses and lots of peonies. This sparked her great gardening love. &emsp;She says she always dabbled in art, but when she studied advertising art at the State University of New York at Farmingdale, she disliked it and didn't complete the program. It was nothing like the fine art she appreciated. &emsp;Years later, when her son was in high school, Anderson became actively involved with painting sets for his school plays. &emsp;"Painting large play backgrounds gave me the confidence to paint murals," she notes. For the next seven years, she painted murals for private homes. She recalls painting all sky-and-clouds on a sunroom ceiling during this period. &emsp;Currently, in her fine art paintings, she follows the flowers throughout the season as each kind blooms and fades, making way for the next blossoms. &emsp;Anderson is especially fond of zinnias, cosmos and snapdragons, and she likes to depict the colors of these and other flowers with white, her favorite color. &emsp;Time is a major challenge in fine arts work, she says; fortunately, her husband John helps immensely by building her frames, handling technical media, and managing all the shipping. &emsp;Nationwide, Anderson's work is in galleries, and she also shares her skills by teaching oil painting workshops, further extending her artistic influence. &emsp;She is a Master Signature Member of Oil Painters of America, a Signature Member of Allied Artists, and an Artist Member of the Salmagundi Club, as well as a winner of numerous awards. &emsp;Looking ahead, she and three other internationally known female artists — Nancy Guzik, Susan Lyon and Jen Starling — will present "The Magic of Cats" (inspired by their own "meowses") show at The Salmagundi Club in Manhattan on Nov. 5. Cats will grace every painting, of course.