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The Art of Katrina Thorstensen

Both Katrina Thorstensen's vocation—delivering babies as a nurse-midwife—and her avocation—painting vibrant landscapes—are full of intensity. She says the two activities "balance each other well. . . . I draw on different and similar sensitivities, talents, and understanding in each." In her artwork, she focuses on landscapes, working mostly from photographs, supplemented with notes, sketches that she has done on location, and her memories. She has worked in different mediums over the years and settled about five years ago on pastels. "Pastels are thought to be pale," she says, "but they're actually pure pigments and can be beautifully intense." She adds that "pastels . . . have undergone a renaissance of sorts in recent years. Working in pastel was a great fit for me, and it has helped me to develop as an artist." One of her landscapes—a rural scene—was featured in the Spring 2008 Art of Medicine section. Here, she shares several of her other paintings and the inspiration behind each one.

Images

Late Summer Light

"Late Summer Light"
Pastel on Paper
By Katrina Thorstensen

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