Kate McConnell at The Arts Club of Washington
I met Kate McConnell on a hike in Peru. She said she was an artist. “Really, what kind?” I said and no doubt thought, “Yes, aren’t we all?” Kate said she lived in Washington, D.C., where we’re all policy artists who can shape concrete data into abstract bullet points for “Agency Leadership.” But Kate meant the kind of artist who uses paints and brushes and a canvas. Cool.
Returning home to the internet and sea level and tea I wasn’t worried would make me fail a drug test, I discovered Kate is a prolific, diverse painter. And I love her artwork. Since we met a few years ago, she’s been kind enough to invite me to all her gallery openings.
This time around, the Arts Club of Washington featured Kate’s work. The Arts Club, located at the James Monroe house, is my favorite venue so far. President Monroe and his family lived there in 1817 while the White House was being rebuilt follow the British burning it. Suffice it to say if I’m going
to steal Peter Straub’s table tent I’m going to peek into all the nooks and crannies of the James Monroe house.
I’m also going to elbow my way through the crowd and soak in as much of the beauty of Kate’s “Forest Light” as I can. The painting glowed. So much of Kate’s work does. What a treat to see my friend, the artist, so well-received so consistently.
Andrea M. Pawley 