Kathleen Hope

Kathleen Hope

Fluent in Cement

"I am an observer of people, faces, fashion, and gestures. My art is not planned, I start with a general charcoal sketch and then ink is dispersed on the porous surface of my cement base. The ink creates unique markings which often reveal a glimpse of a personality. The face and name emerge as I apply color with acrylic paint."

Kathleen Hope is a colorist. She was educated in Color Psychology and Physiological effects at the IACCNA color institute and spent decades as an architectural color consultant. Painting came naturally to her. After 15 years as a mixed-media artist, she chose cement as her medium. She choose cement because it is raw, unpredictable, and rebellious, yet also serene, organic, and seductive.

Choosing one's art medium is like choosing one's partner in life. There are so many options but when you find the right one it is magical and worth the wait. Originally from Duluth, Minnesota, and now resides in Phoenix, Arizona, and creates art with her partner, Troy Axelrod, who is an architect.

Hope’s art is in many corporate and residential collections including several AC Marriott’s and the Mayo Clinic. She has been juried into contemporary art shows from NY to London. Her work has been featured in the publications Luxe Arizona, Phoenix Home and Garden, Western Art and Architecture, and California Homes, as well as on a Netflix Series.