About the Artist
Inspired by concepts of love, empathy and emotional intimacy, artist Kathi Barnhill explores both animal and human relationships through invigorated portrait paintings. Her images convey a purity of feeling and a visceral sincerity that comes from a creative process that although deftly researched, allows for imaginative improvisational elements. Her pallet is inspired by the explosive colors of her garden and from her travels to far off exotic locales. Her lighting, inspired by paintings of the renaissance, is carefully cultivated. The light pours into darkened spaces creating visual metaphors for the loving relationships that illuminate our lives. Barnhill often begins by spending time with her subjects, carefully observing their distinctive behaviors to inform her compositions. By developing these intimate relationships and infusing that closeness into her process, the works accomplish more than just immortalizing a beloved pet, or a loved one. They infuse honest vulnerabilities with real tenderness and become testaments to unconditional love, to friendship, purpose, and joy.
Often the unconditional relationships we form with the animal kingdom are particularly unique and special in a way that transcends the complex language-based communication we share with our fellow humans. In addition to the joy and emotional boosts that our pets provide, they expand our capacity for love and empathy. Through these relationships, we learn their unique personalities and come to understand that their desire for love and safety is equal to our own. This in turn can help us to become more compassionate and empathetic individuals which can positively impact all our animal and human relationships. By embracing these innate connections Barnhill’s paintings capture that spirit of partnership and deep friendship we develop with our furry friends.
People, pets, and their stories have always been at the heart of Barnhill’s creative endeavors. Each work is a narrative tale told between her subjects and the environments they have been painted into. Her empathy and passion for other living things translates naturally to the direct emotional immediacy of painting. For the viewer, they exude a palpable nostalgia, provoking us to recall the bonds we share with our own pets and loved ones, to recall our own safe spaces and share in a sense of gratitude for those fleeting magical moments of tenderness that make life worth living.
Surrounded by her partner, pets and loved ones, Barnhill currently lives and works in Asheville, NC.
