Meet our supporter – Kathy Van Gogh
Kathy Van Gogh contributed a lot into RUSART development, as an artist, tester and raw materials provider.
Elena, RUSART owner, and Kathy met in 2019 in Vancouver, BC, right before Art Vancouver art fair, where Kathy was displaying her beautiful artworks and teaching a to of workshops. As a teacher, Elena taught a pastel workshop there too.
As a professional artist Kathy helped Elena in testing natural watercolours, providing with honest and reliable feedback as well as sharing her experience with other artists. In 2020 when Kathy retired and closed her furniture paint business (see below), she generously donated a lot of raw materials as well as packing supplies to RUSART.
Elena is very grateful to Kathy for her huge contribution into RUSART small business.
Who is Kathy Van Gogh?
Kathy van Gogh has been a professional visual artist since 2001, although as most artists would tell you, she has been obsessed with colour and creativity all her life. Her formal training began in the USA and in Canada. To further hone her skills, she travelled to Italy and France. There she learnt from the authentic Masters of ancient art forms including:
- ornamentation,
- marbles,
- wood grains,
- gilding,
- plaster work,
- paint making
- and just about every other branch of what is generally referred to as decorative art.
Kathy’s Career as an Artist
Initially, she opened her design company called FAKE IT, so-called because her work includes making walls look 2000 years old or transforming drywall into beautiful jaw-dropping finishes. Kathy has completed hundreds of projects in some of Vancouver’s most prestigious homes. Her work has been featured in many publications including Home Makeover Magazine, Designer Baths, The Sun, The North Shore News, The Province, The Richmond News and many others.
In 2007, Kathy opened the only teaching studio for this art form in all of Western Canada, Studio van Gogh. Now, as a recognized leader and innovator in the industry, Kathy has travelled all over the world teaching her methods and artistry to others.
The next natural evolution of her business and art acumen led her to create a line of products called van Gogh Furniture Paintology. These are designed specifically to refinish furniture. Essentially, Kathy has taken all her knowledge from the once exclusive world of decorative painting and made it accessible to everyone with her Fossil Paint line of fun and artistic products.
These days, Kathy confines her work to canvasses and has closed her furniture paint business. Her work can generally be described as abstract impressionism. And she works in acrylic, watercolour, plasters and inks as well as her own handmade paints and plasters.
Kathy’s motto: Leave you Mark!
