Kathleen Speranza: Dancing On The Third Rail

Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe and get free guides! Kathleen Speranza is a painter from Massachusetts. She earned her BFA from Boston University and her MFA from Yale. She teaches painting and drawing at Rhode Island School of Design. Her current obsession is portraits. Portraits of flowers. And according to Kathleen, flower paintings are sometimes akin to stepping on the third rail. There are so many stereotypes that go along with this subject that tackling it can be dangerous. Particularly for a female painter. But Kathleen, I think, is fluent in the language of color. She understands their subtleties and arranges them masterfully on her canvas. Allowing each its place so that the subject sings. I am completely fascinated by, the topic of color so I grill Kathleen on her palette organization, her interest in the Munsell Palette and when she chooses to use it. We talk about life, and yes, having one informs our art. As much as w