“I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart.”
Vincent Van Gogh
My Story
I am a Saskatoon-based Canadian artist and retired art educator. Though I began life as a physical education teacher, I always loved to draw and was an artist at heart. After taking a community art class and completing my first painting at 40, I returned to the University of Saskatchewan in 2005 and completed my B.F.A. with Great Distinction. Since then, I have enriched my practice through self-directed workshops with local and international artists, artist mentorships, international retreats and residencies and solo and group exhibitions across Canada and the U.S. I am grateful to have received many awards for my work and to be named “A Saskatchewan Artist to Watch” in 2019. Above all, I am blessed to pursue my life’s passion and create art every day.
Expressive mark-making, colour, texture and light all play a powerful role in my art. I favour oil for its buttery texture and juicy strokes and encaustic for its unpredictable and mysterious nature. Using a layered approach, I add further richness, history and content to my work using oil sticks, charcoal, pastels, inks, tar, shellac and gold leaf. While the act of painting with molten wax and an open flame is already a wondrous experience in and of itself, the luminous and tactile nature of encaustic is most intriguing. Letting go and allowing encaustic to serendipitously paint itself during the fusing process is one of my most exciting studio moments as is excavating into previous layers in order to reveal what lies below. I never tire of these discoveries and every day I learn something new about this seductive and versatile medium.
Inspired by the various places and subjects I experience across Canada and afar, my current focus is the power of landscape and animal portraiture. Equally fascinated and haunted by the vastness of the prairies and the solitude of the forest, I seek every opportunity I can to hike and immerse myself in these humbling spaces. This is, at once, a personal search for life balance and a means to translate landscape as a form of escape and a source of solace, well-being and spiritual growth. Similarly seduced by animal forms for their emotional and symbolic connections, I strive to capture their “inner landscapes” through gaze and gesture. Regardless of subject matter, at the heart of each painting is my sensitive observation. emotional response to the subject before me and deep passion for painting.
I work out of my home studio in Saskatoon and I am represented by galleries in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. My paintings are part of private, public and corporate collections across Canada and around the world.
Instagram: @kathybradshawart @kathybradshawportraits
YouTube: Kathy Bradshaw Art
Artist CV
Gallery Representation
The Gallery at Art Placement, Saskatoon, SK;
Art on Ninth, Invermere, BC;
Avens Gallery, Canmore, AB;
Black Spruce Gallery, Waskesiu, SK;
Gallery Merrick, Victoria, BC;
Webster Galleries, Calgary, AB
Exhibitions 2022-24
Coming Home, Solo Exhibition, Shurniak Gallery, Nov 6, 2023 - Jan 5, 2024
Ephemeral /Ephemera, Group Show, Mulranny Arts Centre, Ireland, Oct 10-Nov 15, 2023
ART NOW, Saskatchewan Fine Art Fair, Sept 14-17, 2023 Viterra International Trade Centre, Regina, SK
2023 Calgary Stampede Showcase, Artist Studio, JULY 6-11, Calgary, AB
Wanuskewin: A Sense of Place, Group Show, April 18 - August 21, 2023 Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Saskatoon, SK
ART NOW, Saskatchewan Fine Art Fair, Sept 22-25, 2022. Prairieland Park, Saskatoon, SK
Three Person Landscape Show, Gallery Merrick, Victoria, BC, opens Thursday, Aug 4th, 2022, 6-9pm.
15th Annual Brilliant Moments, A Celebration of Encaustic Art by CanWaxWest, May 14 - June 25, 2022 Leir House Cultural Centre, Penticton, BC
ConVergence, International Encaustic Association Juried Encaustic Exhibition, Morro Bay Art Center, Morro Bay. CA, April 7 - May 5, 2022
2023-24 Artist Residencies & Retreats
Artist-in-Residence, Pouchcove, NFLD February, 2024.
Celtic Convergence: Wax Across the Water, IEA Retreat, Mulranny Arts Centre, Ireland, October 12-17, 2023
Artist-in-Residence at Chateau Orqueveax, France, August 17-31, 2023
Notable Events…….
Artist Residency at Pouch Cove, Newfoundland, Canada, Feb 2024
Artist Residency at Chateau d’Orquevaux, France, Aug 2023
Artist Residency with American Encaustic Artist Michael David, Truro, Massachusetts, June 2021
St. Francis in the Wilderness, Michael David, 2015-17, encaustic and mixed media on wooden panel, 24 x 22 inches
2022 Artist Spotlight: Black Spruce Gallery
April 2021, SaskTel Artist Mini-Documentary
2021 Podcast: My Journey from Phys Ed Teacher to Professional Artist
Artist Studio at the Calgary Stampede Western Showcase, Calgary, AB., 2021 & 2023
Article Published in the International Encaustic Artist’s Fall 2023 Publication: Wax Fusion (p. 78-81)
May 2022, Cover/Interview in “Sincerely Us” UK Magazine
May 2021, Artist Feature in Arabella Magazine
Oct 2020, “Hinterland” Novel Cover, American Author L.M. Brown
“Roses on Red Chair II”, oil & charcoal on canvas, 40” x 32”, 2020
Commissions
I gratefully accept commissions and can work from your images, my reference photos or translate a previous work.
The Process: First, we will discuss your preferred subject matter, media, size and style and will decide on a timeline based on my current load of commissions. Generally, there is no limit when it comes to size and format. I can work anywhere from 5” x 5” up to 48” x 60” in a format that best fits your vision using oil or encaustic. Prices for my work are based on a square inch formula and complexity of subject. Prior to beginning I require a 50% downpayment with the balance due on receipt of the finished painting.
To begin, I will sketch out the image for your approval on either a deep-profile custom-made canvas or cradled panel. (For oil commissions, I prefer to build my own stretchers, stretch them with linen or #10/15 oz canvas and gesso them myself as it is far superior to what I can purchase from my suppliers. For encaustic, I use high-quality Canadian-made Gotrick cradled panels.) After the sketch has been approved, I begin painting and once I am “finished”, will send you either an image of the work or a studio invitation to see the artwork in person. I guarantee my work and your satisfaction, so at this point, I will make any adjustments you would like. It is imperative that you have the opportunity to provide feedback since it is your painting! Once you are completely satisfied, I will record the work, provide you with a certificate of authenticity and we will determine pick-up or delivery, upon which the final payment is due. If shipping is required, I search for best rates possible while ensuring that your piece is safely packed and delivered. Clients are responsible for all shipping and insurance charges.
If you're looking for a unique piece of art that will make a personal statement in your space or for someone special, I invite you to commission a piece from me. Feel free to contact me with your ideas and questions and let’s create something beautiful together!
Testimonials:
“I just wanted you to know that the painting arrived today and I am thrilled with it. I love it more now than I did at the Stampede, so it was well worth the wait. Thanks so much for your great customer service and of course your talent as a painter. I will cherish this painting.” - Debbi
“I can’t begin to tell you about my experience with “Chase’s Forest II”. The energy that fills my room is just amazing!! I think you painted your soul into the canvas. I feel it when I get up in the morning and I gaze (and enter) into the forest when I do my yoga online especially the balance poses.
I think the atmosphere in my condo has become electrified and I just don’t know how to really explain it other than the joy it brings to me daily. - Sharon
“The painting arrived and I came home to open and admire. Wow! It’s soooo beautiful and the beeswax medium is so different than any other painting I have seen. It gives it a liquidity that takes on a different perspective from different angles and lighting. It’s so deep and alive. - David
“I just wanted you to know how much my husband and I are enjoying our new painting. There is something about it that makes me feel quite emotional and we feel like your art, and the gift you have, adds to the richness of our lives. - Susan
'“My husband and I just bought “Big Sky” at the Avens in Canmore. My heart is full!!!!! I love your work so much and now one of your stunning pieces gets to live at our house. We love it so much and am honoured to be its caretaker. A piece of your art was one of this year’s dream goals. A successful business year means that goal happened today. Thank you for making beautiful art! We will treasure it!” - Julie
“I purchased this forest painting to serve as my Zoom backdrop. It’s the perfect display of warmth and invitation, light and shadow, unknown adventure and nature’s companioning presence.” - Deb
“Thank you, Kathy, for painting Peter’s portrait. Our family is indebted to you for all your work. The painting will be a legacy that my children and grandchildren will always honour as a remembrance of him.” - Linda
