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Section: Arts
Artist Kath Schifano: Every Painting Has a Story
By Anthony Chabala
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A North Pearl Street home.
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Grand Island native and noted painter Kath Schifano’s unique style is a mind and body experience. “Every painting is a self-portrait of how I see — a mirror of my observations,” she says, and her work demonstrates this belief. “Painting real objects and places, I prefer to paint outdoors, observing and experiencing nature and recording the things that attract me. Light, weather and time of day can change colors and appearances quickly.”
As a retired art teacher from the Niagara Falls School District, Schifano has kept the exuberance and enthusiasm of her young students, and her style of painting requires much vim and vigor. Schifano’s niche in the art universe comes in the form of en plein air painting. This form is a challenge for the hand, mind and body, as it involves finding a scenic view, carrying a loaded 20-pound French easel and wet canvases over rocks and tree trunks, sitting on a log for hours on end, and trying to craft something beautiful while combating wind, bugs, heat and everything else nature tries to throw your way. The ends justify the means, for her paintings are magnificent.
One might wonder why someone would be drawn to such a complicated form of painting, but for Schifano, the complications are a reason why. “The challenge is all part of the allure. Painting in wind and heat or cold, dodging golf balls or angry chickens or in the midst of crowds, and trying to ‘catch the light’ quickly, while balancing a palette and wet paints, is a serious difficulty,” she says. “If the painting is successful, then it captures the sounds and feeling of that day and has the sparkle that can only happen on location. Each painting has its own story.”
Her artwork has been featured all over WNY, but it is the list of awards on her resume that really stands out. Ranging from such credentials as the winner of the Buffalo Niagara Art Association Achievement Award and the Albright-Knox Corporate Award to being a featured artist in Buffalo Rising and Music Is Art, Schifano’s work is very highly decorated.
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Schifano’s Summer on Summer Street.
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Schifano’s advice to others seeking creativity through art? “You need to be able to draw in order to paint. Fill sketchbooks wherever you are, and draw what you see. No one needs archival materials or fancy equipment to learn — just get started and practice. Don’t judge yourself until you have a degree in criticism; it is about practice, so relax and enjoy the process.”
The internet has played a role in Schifano’s recent successes as a painter. She not only has a website (www.kschifano.com), but also a blog (www.kschifano.blogspot.com) where she often uploads pictures of her work and offers insights to her processes and techniques. She keeps pictures of her paintings, along with her contacts, on her iPod. She says this is handy painting, as she can not only listen to podcasts and book reviews, and show people who ask about her paintings what they look like. “Life is incredibly hectic,” Schifano says, “with family responsibilities, volunteer work, art exhibitions and the business of being an artist, so I try to keep all the parts of my life organized.”
Schifano’s work will be on display from May 1 to 8 at Quaker Bonnet Eatery (175 Allen Street, Buffalo) in a show titled Around & About the Bright Side. A public reception will be held on May 8; see www.kschifano.com for details.
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