Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine O’Brien.
Katherine, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a local artist and high school art teacher at Torrey Pines High School in Del Mar, CA. I got my start doing art at a very young age, around seven years old. I always felt an innate pull towards my creative side and my inspiration started from watching Disney and being inspired to draw all the characters. I was lucky to also have parents who supported my love of the arts. During the summers of my youth, my mother would enroll me in Grossmont College’s “College for Kids’ program where I would take many different art classes. In addition to visual arts, I was always involved with performing arts as I danced with the California Ballet Company throughout my teenage years. Now, you would have thought I would have decided to major in Art when it came time for college but I actually decided to go to Business School, which seemed to be a more practical move at the time and I knew if I wanted to do art in the future, I would.
During college, I was still able to do art and I got a job teaching art at a local art studio “Little Artists” where I ended up working part-time for seven years. After graduating from San Diego State University with a business degree, I tried out banking in the mortgage business. It was a successful run for a few years but then the market tanked and my interest in working in corporate American also waned. I realized then that happiness did not come from money and instead, it came from doing what I was passionate about and having the freedom to give back to others what I was passionate about. At that moment of realization, I decided to do a career switch and I went back to school to get my high school teaching credential in Art and my Masters in Education.
Fast forward ten years and I have taught art at the high school level for seven years and even had the opportunity to teach in Dallas, Texas for two of those years. In addition to teaching I have also had the opportunity to work with some amazing artists such as Stephen Fishwick. For many years I worked as a performance artist doing speed painting shows at Disneyland, Lego- Land and various corporate events such as National Geographic. Through this experience, I learned more art techniques and it built my confidence with performing art.
Being an art teacher is fulfilling to me on so many levels. I feel that I am giving back to my community by exposing kids to the arts, allowing them to have an outlet outside of their normal academic classes which creates balance in their lives,pushing them to think outside of the box and giving them an opportunity to express themselves in a non-verbal form. I strongly believe that children need art to help them function in society as it pushes them to think for themselves, problem- solve and have a voice, which is important in any career path they choose.
In addition to teaching, I have continually pursued my own artistic endeavors through my own work. For the past ten years, I have enjoyed my side business doing commissioned work for people doing pet portraits, custom birthday card portraits, and landscape paintings. My work has evolved as an artist from working just with acrylics on canvas to now doing multi-layered paintings using watercolor, acrylic, and digital painting. My current goal that I’m focused on is large abstract canvas paintings for gallery showings. I love how art continually keeps me centered as a person. I always feel a pull to create and it’s my outlet and my meditation. I will always feel grateful that I have this passion as my life would feel lost without it, it has saved me during hard times and moments of stress. Art has also been my “go to” for giving back to others and it is most rewarding for me to see others’ joy when receiving my art. In addition to my artwork, I have also continued my love of performing arts through working as a performing aerialist with Aerial Revolution,
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road in my pursuit of becoming an art teacher or artist. For one thing, after my first year of teaching in 2010, I was pink-slipped and laid off because of budget cuts in California. This forced me to substitute teach for a year and then I eventually moved to Texas where I had to get re-credentialed to teach there which took a year of studying and preparation. My advice for anyone pursuing their dreams is to always have your eye on the prize and if you truly believe that your dream can be accomplished, then it will happen with patience and perseverance. Nothing happens overnight, big things happen with a constant drive and determination.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I love doing custom artwork for people, whether it be a pet portrait or portraits of people. I also love landscapes and wildlife portraits. My work is different in that I use a unique multimedia technique of layering watercolor, acrylic and then digital painting. I taught myself digital painting on Photoshop through Youtube after studying some other inspirational artists’ work. A lot of the work I get for my art comes from social media as I use this as a platform to promote my work. I think what I am most proud about is that I am a self-taught artist with no formal training in the type of art I do. My skills have come from endless hours of experimenting and studying other artists work. I have also just followed my heart my whole life and never stopped making art. Another aspect of my art passion that I am proud of is that I get to inspire my students every day in the classroom to be creative and live their live’s authentically. I really emphasize with them that it is important to stay true to themselves and pursue something in life that excites them and makes them want to give back. In addition to teaching and creating art, I also have a side business of tutoring art with students outside of the classroom. I work with special needs students in addition to advanced students. It is so fulfilling to me when I see kids create art and then gain a sense of pride and accomplishment through their work.
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
Yes, I believe that working in a career that I didn’t like gave me the contrast and perspective I needed to wake up and pursue something that felt more authentic and real to my true spirit. I also appreciate what I have now more than ever. I also thank my parents from a very early age for always being so positive and supportive with me and my love of art. They have always pushed me to my best ability, encouraged my talents, and never let me quit anything I’ve started.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.katherineobrienart.com
- Phone: 6199616409
- Email: obrienkatie1111@gmail.com
- Instagram: katherineobrienart kobrienart
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/katherineobrienart11
Image Credit:
Aerial photo by Jenn Lappe Photography
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