Kathleen Biggar by Theresa Oats

Kathleen and I became friends when we ride shared back and forth to College of the Redwoods.

We were in the same water color class taught by Bob Benson. Kathleen was easy going and had a terrific wit, she saw humor in even the most mundane events. We decided to paint portraits of each other in the act of painting each other. It surprised me to see this very intense serious side of Kathleen as she worked away, never saying a word. Her demeanor belied her carefree brushy style I'd seen in class. That said, her later work and self portraits show this side to her through the use of a large format and expressive brushwork.

Kathleen started feeling less energetic and didn't have a car. I offered to take her around to see all the local shows. She appeared pretty lethargic the whole time. Our last stop was the Cody Gallery. She perked up while viewing Linda Mitchell's work. As we left the premises she expressed admiration for Linda's work and how she enjoyed seeing it, even thanking me for bringing her there. Several months later in that year of 2007 Kathleen died of a heart attack. I was told by her neighbor, that Kathleen's family has her body of work.