Castleton alum displays artwork at gallery

Nicole Webster / Spartan contributor

A mural painted by Kathryn Wiegers hangs in Rutland
outside the Castleton Downtown Gallery.

While working at the Castleton Downtown Gallery, Sarah Karczmarczyk watched a little boy look up at a painting by Kathryn Wiegers titled “Lego Robotic Hand” and drop to the floor.

“He was the only one willing to lie down on the floor to see the perspective that quickly,” Karczmarczyk said.

The gallery has very low ceilings, so he was right to get down low to see it. Karczmarczyk said the painting is soon headed to Rutland’s Wonderfeet Museum, which has very high ceilings, so it will be in the perfect location.

Weigers is a muralist in the Rutland area and has four murals downtown. She has a new one that will be revealed at a yet-to-be-disclosed location on Halloween this year downtown.

Bill Ramage, a retired art professor and now visual arts consultant for Castleton University, wanted Wiegers to be featured at the Castleton Downtown Gallery because her murals add beauty to the community.

Wiegers had 21 works in the gallery, some small and some large. There is a full-size mural of hers in the alley next to the entrance of the gallery, which is one that stands out to Ramage.

“I like the one in the alley, with the truck,” said Ramage, saying he loved its charm.

That mural has an old Chevrolet pickup truck, two cows, fields, and shows a painter on a ladder on the left and another hanging down from the top right.

Wiegers favorite piece in the gallery is titled “Eve,” in part because it’s different from her normal works.

“Painting on a small scale is usually difficult for me, so this was a challenge. Also, I felt very passionate with what I wanted to express at the time that I sat down to paint the painting. I completed her in one evening without stepping back from the painting to look at it. I wanted to paint from my gut instincts and not overthink it. When I was finished, I was surprised to see that I had conveyed the feeling I wanted in this painting,” Wiegers said.

Ramage said his favorite painting of hers in the gallery was “Koi Fish” because it reminded him of a mural she has downtown in an alley by Kelvans restaurant.

Wiegers has a degree in biology that was partially earned at Castleton University. When she moved to Vermont from Pennsylvania, she said she needed 12 credits to complete and did that at Castleton.

For two of those credits, she was allowed to paint a mural in the science department’s student lounge. Wiegers said she didn’t know that she wanted to be a muralist then, but it was great for her.

A lot of Wiegers’ artwork includes animals. Horses are easiest for her to paint because she grew up with them and spent time grooming them and learning their muscles.

“The most difficult animal so far for me would be goats and sheep; their faces are challenging,” Wiegers said.

 

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