My name is Kathleen G. Richter.  I have a passion for painting animals.  But I must say, cats seems to reach deep inside my soul for some reason.  I have had a strong compulsion to paint those cute little balls of fur ever since I was a little girl.  While I paint just about any animal alive, I paint cats at a ratio of five to one.  It’s a fact, I love painting cats.  I really think it’s their eyes.  When I look at a cat’s eyes, I see such intense color and nobility.  In my paintings, I like to accentuate the eyes because the eyes are what captivate and mesmerize.  I’ve painted panda bears, dogs, birds, etc., but by some strange unknown cosmic force, I’m asked to paint cats more than any other animal.  And I’m certainly not complaining.  People who want a painting of their cat seem to be drawn to me.  Of course, seeing my cat paintings at various venues could also be responsible for this phenomenon.  :-)  I’ve never seen a cat I didn’t want to paint.  I just love them!  My paintings have won the following: Two first place ribbons, a Judge’s Choice, and a third place.

My older brother was an incredible artist.  He was the one that nurtured my talent.  When I was still in preschool, my brother would teach me fundamental art skills.  I really looked up to him.  I simply adored him.  He spent so much time teaching me everything he knew.  I learned so much from him, and he made me thirst for more knowledge.  He sparked a passion in me for art that has burned brighter and brighter with every passing day.  He could not only create art with a paintbrush, but if you put a pencil in his hand, he could draw extremely detailed cartoons.  And because of him, I was the political cartoonist for my high school newspaper.  I was very fortunate to have a live-in art tutor.  Every time I put my brush to canvas, I think of him, and miss him dearly.

In 1958, when I was fourteen years old (living in Chicago), my grammar school (Hookway) gave me, and another girl, a summer scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago.  I was overjoyed!  I was going to attend a big-time, prestigious, art school.  Every Saturday morning I would spring out of bed -- bursting with excitement.  I would take a shower, rush through breakfast, and fly out of the front door on my way to the train station.  I don’t think my feet ever hit the ground the entire way there.  The always-on-time “L” train would come squealing to a halt, and I would bounce on board with the biggest smile on my face.  There I was, heading toward a place that did nothing but teach serious artists how to create serious art.  I was over the moon for that entire summer.  I didn’t want it to end.  I received a very solid foundation that I have been building on ever since.  Between my brother, and my time at the Art Institute, I felt like I was blessed to have been given such a huge, one-two punch when it comes to becoming an artist.  I feel very fortunate and thankful.

My family then moved to Long Island, New York.  I continued high school at Island Trees High School.  Naturally, one of my subjects was art.  I was always doing posters and murals for my school.  Due to the cartoonist skills my brother infused into my hands, I quickly became the political cartoonist for my high school newspaper.  That was a lot of fun.  Having students all around the school looking at my artwork was such a thrill.

My high school had an after-school art club.  Of course, I joined as soon as I became aware of its existence.  I never wanted to stop learning even for a second.  If there was a second art club, I would have joined that too.  I wanted to fill my day with as much art as humanly possible.

Growing up we moved a lot, and I did a lot of art work for each school that I attended.

When I graduated, I started working for the N.Y. Telephone company, “Ma Bell”, as a long distance operator.  When they learned about my artistic talent, I was instantly the go-to person for anything art related.  One of the most requested tasks was to paint large murals.  They didn’t need to ask me twice; I was thrilled to be given a huge ten-foot-tall piece of real-estate to let my imagination run wild on.  In my book, the bigger the better!  To this day, I love painting king-size, highly complex murals with lots of fine detail. 

After leaving the New York telephone company, I got married, and we moved to Florida.  Soon after arriving in Florida, I was hired as a switchboard receptionist for City Hall in Fort Myers, Florida.  And, of course, once my skill with a brush became known, I was once again handed painting supplies, and pointed in the direction of large glass partitions and windows that needed to be dressed up for various holidays and special events.

We moved to Sebastian, Florida, I worked for Walmart until I retired.  When I retired, I was itching to get back into painting in a serious way.  That’s when I discovered the Sebastian River Art Club.  The art club has been so much fun.  I used to wonder if I would ever be in a situation that would allow me to get back to the wonderful world of large-scale artwork.  I don’t have to wonder anymore because for the last four years I’ve been painting Christmas murals for the local library in Sebastian, Florida, thanks to the Sebastian River Art Club.  The club has also made it possible for me to pass on my lifetime of experience by teaching an art class twice a month (first and third Thursday).  I love seeing my students improve with each passing week.  I hope to be a member of the Sebastian River Art Club for however long I’m on earth.  I just love it!