Hello. I'm Kathy Ludlam, a Columbus, Ohio artist focused largely on creating representational oil paintings. I am drawn to a wide variety of subjects and believe that just about anything can make a compelling painting or, as Flaubert said, "anything becomes interesting if you look at it long enough." I love to capture both the extraordinary and everyday aspects of life, particularly in the dramatic beauty of strong, direct sunlight.  

 

I took many studio art classes in college and painted in watercolors before having children. After raising a family and downsizing our home, I signed up for an oil class after not having done art for many years. That class was an eye-opener in so many ways, but the overwhelming take-away during that afternoon four years ago was that it felt so great to be painting again. I was hooked.

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Art has been an important part of my life even during periods of time when I wasn't painting. I believe that all the living I've done is reflected in some fundamental way in how and what I choose to paint, from studying art history to living abroad with a young family to observing the daily changes in my favorite neighborhood walk. There is a painting around every corner if you look long enough, and all of my experiences inform the paintings that follow.  I love to paint Plein Air (outdoors), as well as in my studio, where I paint from life and photo references. I am not drawn to one particular subject as much as to how light and shadow shape that scene, whether it's a back alley in partial shade or the way direct sunlight hits a peony. 

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My happy place is  in front of my easel, and I never take for granted the splendor of putting paint on canvas.