Email:animalartist1@comcast.net  
Website: www.kathleenhill.com
Phone: 925 373-0860

Animals are the fuel that drives my passion to paint. Each one I see seems to say “paint me!” I believe my work is portraiture. I want them to be the center of interest, not just part of a landscape. I will always consider their eyes to be the key element in my work, for it is through their eyes that I capture their life essence. I strive to freeze frame that unique being before me so that my audience can almost reach out and feel the softness of feather or fur, the dampness of a nose or tongue, and take in the beauty without being disturbed by movement.

No matter what I am doing, animals stopme in my tracks. They fascinate me and touch my heart in the deepest places. Even in my earliest memories they are there, a living presence that is somehow connected to me. When I was just three years old I escaped from my house and walked alone down the block to the firehouse to see the dog that I knew lived there. Soon drawing horses became an involuntary response to paper and pencil. Most of my jobs were animal related, e.g., stable hand, trainer’s assistant, dog groomer, but these experiences taught me about anatomy, personality, and the uniqueness of each individual. They also gave me inspiration to continue to improve my artwork.