Kathleen Kvern is an abstract painter based in Minneapolis, MN where she has a studio behind her 1920’s bungalow. She works primarily in encaustic and mixed media and her work has been juried into exhibitions at the Nicolet College Art Gallery, Northfield Art Gallery, Artistry at the Bloomington Center for the Arts, and at the Minnesota State Fair Fine Art Exhibition among others. She has been featured in Wax Fusion, a digital publication of International Encaustic Artists (IEA), and she was the recipient of the 2019 Emerging Artists Grant from the IEA. She teaches encaustic workshops at the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center, her work is for sale, and she ships locally, nationally, and around the world.

Artist Statement

My encaustic paintings, often created in series, explore the layered meanings of personal narrative and the intersection of my spiritual and recovery practices with the creative process. Through this work, I seek to map deeper connections with myself and others.

Encaustic, a medium transformed by fire, is an ideal vehicle for examining the concept of transformation itself. The process is meditative—scraping away, revealing what lies beneath, and rebuilding in a rhythmic, reflective cycle. The resulting paintings become palimpsests, bearing traces of their past forms while evolving into something new.

I am drawn to the unique qualities of encaustic—its translucency, luminosity, vulnerability, and resilience. While my work references the natural world, it is also a means of navigating my internal landscape, deeply rooted in my recovery from addiction.

I invite you to explore my work. Please feel free to reach out if you’re interested in purchasing a piece or discussing a commission.

Exhibitions

2025 Members Invitational Northfield Arts Guild , Northfield, MN

2025 Arts North International 30 Hopkins Center for the Arts

2024 “masked/unmasked” Two-Person Juried Exhibition The Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson WI.

2023 “Way of Seeing the Natural World” Two-Person Exhibition in the Reedy Gallery at the MN Landscape Arboretum

2023 “Chromatic Dialogue” Two-Person Juried Exhibition in the Inez Greenberg Gallery at the Bloomington Art Center

2023 “Abstractions” Juried Exhibition at The Bridgewater Lofts

2023 Minnesota Waterfalls Exhibition at the Minneapolis Airport

2023 Annual Members Juried Art Exhibition in the Inez Greenberg Gallery at the Bloomington Art Center

2022 “5-FOOT SHOW” at Gallery 360

2022 “Layer of Being” 3-person exhibition in ArtReach St. Croix Gallery

2021 45th Annual Members Juried Art Exhibition in the Inez Greenberg Gallery at the Bloomington Art Center

2021 “Metamorphosis” Juried Exhibition. Tubac Center of the Arts in partnership with the International Encaustic Artists

2021 “Landscapes in the Abstract” Juried Exhibition. Northfield Arts Guild Gallery

2020 “Coordinated Message” Juried Group Exhibition. Art At The Bridgewater Gallery

2020 Follow The Muse Gallery

2019 International Encaustic Artists Emerging Artists Grant Award

2019 National Juried Exhibition, Northern National Art Competition, “Patron Award” Nicolet College Art Gallery, Rhinelander, WI

2019 Honorable Mention, Group Show, Manito Art Show, Manitowish Waters, WI

2018 MN State Fair Juried Fine Art Exhibition

2018 Honorable Mention, Group Show, Manito Art Show, Manitowish Waters, WI

2018 Solo Exhibition, Common Ground Gallery, Mpls MN

2017  National Juried Exhibition, Northern National Art Competition, Nicolet College Art Gallery, Rhinelander, WI

2017  Solo Exhibition Collection of Works, Common Ground Gallery, Mpls, MN

2017  3-Artist Show “Under the Influence”, Howard Young Gallery, Minoqua, WI

2017 Group Show, Red Hot Art Market, Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center, Minneapolis, MN

2017 Group Show, Manito Art Show, Manitowish Waters, WI

2016 Group Show, Manito Art Show, Manitowish Waters, WI

 Education and Experience

The University of Minnesota, Bachelor of Arts, 1980

Artist ToolBox Marketing Workshop, Lac du Flambeau, WI July 2009

Encaustic Painting Workshop, Mentor Artist: Jodi Reeb

September 2017; January 2018; June 2019

Encaustic Painting Workshop Jeffery Hirst June 2019

Artists Master Mind 2019; 2020