Artist Bio
Kathryn Kunz Finney
I am an artist living in Des Moines, Iowa. My subjects are mostly people, dogs and other animals as well as the Iowa landscape.
When you look at the images in my paintings, I want the canvas to invite you into the picture. The solutions are unexpected and the expressions and settings are full of contradictory color. I want to offer the viewer what I see in a child’s face, a dog’s slobbery smile or perhaps just the color of the side of a barn at sunset. My paintings are intentionally full of large brush strokes and bright, sometimes unusual color, however, I want the paintings to be about the real vs. the abstract. The paintings are happy and whimsical.
I live in Des Moines with my husband Andrew, my children Madison and Arthur and my Great Pyrenees, Harry. When I am not painting, I am a graphic designer and art director and work on several magazine titles and graphic projects. I have a personal mission of donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of my prints and custom portraits of dogs to the Organization for Autism Research.
Statement from the Artist
THE HOUSE AND SCULPTURE
I live in Des Moines, Iowa but my family and I love to visit Minnesota! We love the friendly people, the art galleries, the art fairs, the shopping, and the wonderful neighborhoods. We love it all.
With the invitation from HOME FOR LIFE to paint a dog and house, it was a natural to paint the German Shepherd ready for a winter getaway. I wanted the dog to somewhat look like one of my dog portraits, so I gave her a hint of red here, blue there, turquoise here, and yellow there.
Most of all, I wanted her to look happy. I also custom fit a hat so she could sprint through the forest on a cold winter’s eve, keeping her warm and ready to return home to cozy up with a loved one in her log cabin. I’ve always wanted a getaway in a log cabin deep in the woods of Minnesota. Knowing I probably won’t ever own a cabin, I went ahead and painted one for this dog who I’ve been calling “HOLLY” while working on her in the studio.
The dog house also has an entryway rug as well as a Christmas tree viewed through one window. The other window displays a couple of mugs of hot chocolate, ready for HOLLY and a companion after a hike through the snow.