Former Catalina resident and lifelong visitor to the island, Kymberlee Stanley, had one of her paintings chosen by the Catalina Art Festival for this year’s 65th Annual Catalina Island Festival of Art. The event is scheduled for September 20-22 and Stanley and her family recently spent a month or so on the island.
Kymberlee was kind enough to share some of her recent adventures with the Islander. She spent time doing Plein air painting, while her husband Paul swam with the Catalina Island Swim Club. Their daughter, Evie, worked at Sailor’s Delight and participated in Jr. Lifeguards.
After living on Catalina for about three years, the family moved back to their home in Nashville, Tennessee for their daughter to start high school. But Kymberlee has been a visitor to the island since about the age of 4 and she still has an at studio in South Orange County.
She still considers Catalina a home away from home and said everywhere she looks on the island, she sees a painting. She was honored to have her work chosen for this year’s poster, her second time in recent years.
“I am delighted to be selected as the highlighted artist and poster contest winner for the Festival … and am grateful to the Catalina Art Association for their generosity,” Kymberlee said.
While she was on the island, the City of Avalon included one of her works in a art exhibition set up in the city hall foyer. The exhibit will be up until the festival.
Her works are also available for viewing and purchase at the Catalina Island Art Association Gallery, Ciao Baci Boutique, Catalina Dive Shop, and the Catalina Island Museum of Art and History Gift Shop. The island offers plenty of opportunities for her to do her favorite work, painting bright island colors and waterscapes. She especially enjoys painting boats on the water.
“I consider myself a contemporary impressionist who savors bright color, bold brushstrokes, and the immediacy of direct light,” Kymberlee said.
Kymberlee is a member of the Southern California Plein Air Association, the California Art Club, and the Salmagundi Club in New York. She was recently highlighted in American Art Collector magazine with some of her work from Catalina and the California Coast. She also recently won 3rd place at the Back Bay Plein Air Festival in Newport Beach on July 13, 2024.
When not painting, Kymberlee works as a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist, work she does in Nashville and while she lived on the island. Kymberlee will be back for the Catalina Festival of Art in September. For more on her, visit her website at kymberleestanley.com.
