Kathleen McElwaine was 12 years old when her father asked his good friend Jay O’Meilia, (1927-2022) to teach her art because she was not learning how to read. Her dad told Jay she needed systematic instructions, something she could do the same way over and over again, because “that is how she learns.”  Jay’s art education came from the Art Students League New York (1945 – 49) and The Chicago Academy of Fine Art (1946-47). He started Kathleen with painting flowers in a somewhat botanical style, leaving lots of the white on the paper and layering the paint to create detail. “Learning art from Jay was systematic and stress-free – each time I attended art school on Saturday mornings, I came away with a thumbnail painting that I was proud of. I believe that while learning from him, I also learned ‘how to learn’ and shortly began to enjoy reading.”

Kathleen started out as a gallery artist, and over and over again she would hear people say they wanted to learn to paint with watercolor. There was only one thing she liked as much as painting, and that was teaching someone else to paint. In 2011, she developed a teaching method with a basic 10 color palette of DANIEL SMITH paints and all her students were successful at learning basic watercolor techniques.

“I have been asked if I sacrificed my art career to teach painting. On the contrary – my art career IS teaching others how to paint. I also teach ways to make a living with your art using digital printing, because of my success with my watercolor art printed on fabric. I am passionate about what I do and I give credit to Daniel Smith,  because each of my students so quickly sees why they need to learn with the best watercolors possible. The mark of excellence and the consistency of each tube carries my art and my students’ art throughout the process.”