Kathye Mendes

In 1974, Kathye Mendes and her husband Don left their native California for what they thought would be a three-month journey. But the road called louder than home ever had, and they never returned to live. After ten years of wandering the wide, varied landscapes of America, they found their haven in the rolling hills of Southwest Virginia.

Kathye’s artistic spirit emerged in the mid-1980s, sparked by a couple of art classes that opened a door she hadn’t known was there. Painting became a portal—a timeless space where hours dissolved and the world came alive in unexpected ways. Her eyes began to see differently: color whispered from every surface, shadows danced with meaning, and form revealed its quiet poetry. The details of life, once background, now pulsed with energy and wonder. "With each new painting," she says, "I learn something new."

Through the 1990s, art festivals and exhibitions became her rhythm, a way of life. Today, she finds her deepest joy in the quiet focus of her studio, where she paints and frames with care. Though oils are her first love, Kathye also speaks fluently in acrylics, pastels, watercolors, and alcohol inks—each medium a new language for exploring the beauty she finds in the world around her.