I am an artist from Sanger, California, in the heart of the central San Joaquin Valley.  I painted while in college at Fresno State in the 1960’s and have been part of many creative endeavors over the last 30+ years. Lucky enough to study with B.J. McCoon, Jean Ray Laury, Charles Chestnut, Robert Hurlitz, and Darwin Musselman at Fresno State, I took classes in watercolor, acrylic, oil, and fabric arts—and I finally returned to watercolor in the year 2000, after not painting for over 30 years. I consider my mentors/influences to be Monte Guynes, Kay Owens, Grace Rankin, John Salminen, and Karen Knutson.

 

Most of my works begin with watercolor and then go on to incorporate other media such as permanent pen, gel pen, textured paper, magazine photos, modeling paste, watercolor crayon, opaque paint, metallic paint, gesso etc. In addition to loving a lot of color, I am especially drawn to the elements of line and texture and am very aware of the power of contrasting values as an important step in creating effective paintings. My works are large, usually full sheet watercolors or large acrylics though I also enjoy doing tiny pieces, now and then. Recently, I have been doing more acrylics and acrylics with collage than watercolors. I really love mixed media works and experimental collages most.

 

I wanting my paintings to be fun for myself and my viewers, and I am not afraid to experiment and "play" as I explore new subjects, ideas, and processes. My subject matter tends to be impressionistic, expressionistic, and/or abstract rather than realistic. I  like to work in series, returning to the same subjects over time. Musical themes permeate many of my compositions, as well as abstracts, florals, dogs and paintings that comment on the power of language. My gallery is named "Mixed Messages" Art because I love doing mixed media work and I love using symbols, letters, words, and quotations to send a message through my work.

 

 

Kathleen’s works can currently be seen at her gallery,  “Mixed Messages” ART, at 1310 8th Street in Sanger CA. Kathleen is a charter member and signature member of the Alliance of California Artists. She also has belonged to the California Watercolor Association and the San Diego Watercolor Society.  She has been represented by Timberland Gallery in Oakhurst, the Art Stand Gallery in Minkler, and Circle Gallery in Madera (Madera County Arts Council) where you can still view selected work throughout the year.

 

Visit her blog (mixedmessagesbykathleenmattox.blogspot.com) and her Facebook Fan Page (“Mixed Messages” by Kathleen Mattox) for more opportunities to see news about her artistic endeavors, projects, and processes.