Daily Inspiration: Meet Kathy Sulewski

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathy Sulewski

Hi Kathy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Art has been such a huge part of my life ever since I was born. My father was an oil painter and that’s where I developed my love for art and painting. Growing up in New Jersey, I would attend art shows with him on weekends during the summer and enjoyed seeing what other artists were up to.

I graduated from DuCret School of the Arts and have had a professional career starting in textile design, and then achieved success as a giftware designer all while being a wife and mom and finding endless ways to keep on top of my creativity.

Living in Colorado is not only a dream come true, but in the few years I’ve been here, it has quickly helped me develop my style and love for the landscapes, wildlife, and some of my other favorite things. The mountains and skies offer so much detail, drama, and extreme lighting, so this is what I try to capture in my art. It also provides quite a challenge to paint, and I love it!

My life is now at a point where I can simply do what makes me happy… painting and creating makes me happy.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
A small side story about my life, I suffered from Lyme disease for a number of years, (close to 10) and I know I could always relapse at any time, but I work hard at staying healthy to avoid that. During the time I was deeply affected, I was not able to paint or design, especially anything with any kind of detail. My daughter and I started a painting together and when it came time for me to do my part in the detail work, I just couldn’t, because I was struggling with both my motor skills as well as my general brain function. I just couldn’t get them to work together. It was quite frustrating and upsetting because I didn’t think I would ever be able to paint again. After being treated continuously for 2 solid years I finally started feeling a bit more human and slowly got back to being myself. It still took many years to finally get my talent back, I just started painting and with each painting I got better and better. Now the detail work is what I look forward to but do find myself having to just stop and call it a finished painting because my brain can’t go further on that piece. So it can still be a struggle, but definitely nothing like it was and I am grateful every day.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Creativity in general is a huge part of my life and career. I have always thrived in anything creative, and started my professional career in textile design in NYC, giftware design, home decorating, furniture up cycling and design and always return to what I love most and that’s painting. I specialize in acrylics and like to play around with other mixed medias. Living in Colorado, I now tend to focus my subject matter on the mountain landscapes, wildlife and every once in a while I like to do a painting of some of my favorite things. I often connect with photographers from around the country whose work really inspires a painting idea and get their permission to utilize their photo as inspiration. I like to change it a bit and often add my own sky because I have an addiction to clouds and the drama they create. This is a way for me to be inspired but also allows me to be original and creative. Often times I’ll send a print of the final painting to the original photographer who inspired me as a thank you. Given the struggles I’ve had with Lyme disease, I’m quite proud of how far I’ve come and doing better work than I ever thought I would be able to. It’s been quite a journey but I am thrilled with where I am.

My original painting are for sale by contacting me directly, but my new website not only shows a gallery of my work but on my “Shop” page you can also purchase limited edition prints. Each print is produced with the utmost care and attention to detail using pigment printing technology on acid-free, museum quality papers. They are all hand signed and numbered and limited to 50 prints per painting to ensure exclusivity. I’m pretty excited about these and positive responses I’ve had since launching about 6 months ago.

I also enjoy doing commission work. Often times people see my work and reach out to ask if I would be interested in doing something specifically for them. I love that, because we get to be creative together and then they feel like they had a part in the final piece. It’s quite fun and the client feels they have a special painting that will be in their family forever.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kathysulewskiart.com
• Instagram: kathy.sulewski.art
• Facebook: Kathy Sulewski Art
• Other: email: kathysulewskiart@gmail.com