About the Artist: Kathy Womack

November 2024 Issue
About the Cover Artist — Kathy Womack
by Lindsay Gifford

The image on our cover this month is by prolific artist Kathy Womack. It is titled “Women and Wine: The Grove Edition” and is part of a series of more than 90 paintings. Kathy began her artistic career as a fashion illustrator, working at the Austin American-Statesman in the mid-90s. She explains her move from print to canvas: “After working in advertising for a decade as a fashion illustrator, I craved freedom from the nine-to-five and looked to a different outlet. I picked up my brushes and never looked back.”

After a few years of art festivals, gallery shows, and private showings, Kathy’s “Women and Wine” series had such a following, she opened her own galleries in Austin and Houston, which had a successful eight-year run. What started with subjects from Kathy’s own imagination evolved into commissions for clients, depicting themselves and their friends. Although paintings and prints from this series are her most sought-after pieces, her work goes far beyond women and wine.

Kathy has always considered herself an illustrator, whether working on paper or canvas, and her work reflects that. With series names like “Couture” and “Damas,” fashion and the female form dominate her paintings. The “Women and Wine” series often depicts women who are laughing and happy. Kathy said, “As an artist, I am drawn to dramatic or emotionally provocative imagery, so, I was trying to capture the emotion of the moment. We cherish our friendships, so the nature of that is pretty relatable to most women and obviously has broad appeal.”

Lately Kathy has felt pulled in a different direction. She’s returned a bit to her roots, mingling them with a twenty-first century sensibility. She calls the recent work found on her Instagram and Studio Shop websites “sketchbook musings.” These works have a playful sense of humor. As stated on the Instagram page, they’re full of “pop culture, snark, and random scribblings.” The images say Old Hollywood, but the words that often accompany them are very 2024.

Whatever Kathy chooses to do next, it is sure to be dynamic and thought-provoking. She’s raised three kids and is not planning on putting down her brushes or pens anytime soon!

Kathy has two websites for her work: www.kwomack.com and www.womackstudioshop.com. Each has different products available and features different sides of her art. Commissions are available via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To keep up with her latest work, be sure to check her out on Instagram @kathywomackgallery.

June’s work can be seen at Gallery Orange, New Orleans, LA; Mary Martin Gallery, Charleston, SC; POP Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; and The Vault Gallery, Cambria, CA. 

You can also check her out on www.facebook.com/june.valentineruppe