Originally trained in ballet, Kathleen Billis turned to painting after owning an art gallery in Virginia and meeting her husband, Maine artist Mitch Billis.

"I've had to battle rheumatoid arthritis since age 15, so I guess I'm sort of an overachiever to compensate. I feel like it's almost an asset to me now. I had to give up dancing, and nothing compelled my total attention and motivation, until I met Mitch and began painting again."

Kathleen paints in the plein air tradition of turn of the century impressionists. While some finish work may be completed in the studio, it is about capturing a special moment or feeling of place that can't be experienced again in just the same way.