Kathleen Gallion is an artist, a working professional, and a mother whose work and life are inspired by nature and creation.

Born in 1953, Kathleen grew up in Erie, PA with her four brothers and sisters. As an undergrad student, she studied Art and Speech Therapy at Edinboro University where she received her Bachelor of Science. She then studied electronics in the Navy and became an Instructor at the US Naval Medical Training Center at Balboa Hospital in San Diego, California. When she and her husband moved their family back to the east coast, she spent several years raising their young children and working as an artist with clay as her primary medium.

Kathleen then pursued and earned her Masters and Doctorate degrees in Audiology. Professionally, Kathleen continues to work as an Audiologist. Four years ago she was influenced by an artist friend, saying to her, “Someday, I am going to do artwork again.” Her friend challenged her by saying, “What are you waiting for?” Since that time, Kathleen has been inspired to create.

The Gallions live in Virginia Beach, VA. They have three adult children, several pets, and grandpets. Kathleen is an artist member of the Global Alliance for Arts and Health. Her work was shown at Art’s Alive 2012, Ocean City MD, where she won Judge’s Choice Award. She is also a member of Ocean City Art League and was featured in the Center for The Arts, Art League of Ocean City Spotlight Gallery in March. She won Honorable Mention for a mixed media piece in April of this year.

My painting is done without sketching. I use pounded out bits of flower petals and leaves as the medium to begin each piece. I call it flower abrasion. There is a magic to the process, with a destination that I never could have known in advance.

First a stem, or part of a rose petal, is ripped from the plant and laid onto watercolor paper. A good pounding with a hammer releases the natural pigment within the plant onto the paper. Oftentimes it’s a blob of color that bleeds from the plant, or sometimes it spits its’ color outward.

Always, I’m in awe of how these bits of deconstructed plants can change into another beautiful form for me to play with. The process is a journey because the colors guide the piece. Oftentimes, a red rose petal will exude purple pigment. Or the pink stargazer lily, for example, will leave nothing behind but a few purple dots!

Once the initial colors are on the paper, figure ground is sought with india ink in hand. It is impressionistic art that captures the unseen feeling. The negative spaces and implied line are valued as part of the overall structure. It is somewhat likened to Japanese saishikiga ink drawings.

I work as an Audiologist by day and do artwork at night. After a few years, I ventured out of my dining room studio into Art’s Alive 2012 in Ocean City, Md. Surprisingly, the work won Juror’s Choice Award.

The work is about the wonder of creation on all levels. It is a very respectful process. The themes of light and dark/ figure ground culminate in unity. When my work is going well, I’m filled with a sense of excitement, moving past fear, and finding peace. I hope you enjoy viewing the pieces as much as I do creating them!