Saturday Evening Post: A Second Cover!

Saturday Evening Post…strikes twice!

In March, the Editor of the Saturday Evening Post, Patrick Perry wrote this to me, “You were gracious in allowing us to feature your beautiful image of the sandhill cranes on the Mar/Apr 2018 cover. And ever since, I’ve kept you in mind for future covers. And think we have found a perfect match. In the upcoming (May/June) issue of the Post, we are featuring a story on the healing power of horses. And your phenomenal portraits of horses would be perfect for the cover. Simply Exquisite!” It is not every day that I get a note like that! Now, the May/June 2020 edition features my painting Running Free.

This is the second time my work has been included on the cover of the Post. In March of 2018, they ran a painting of a crane. 

It’s a tremendous honor to have my art featured in such an esteemed publication. For ages, The Saturday Evening Post has an incredible reputation for celebrating American Art which is why this is such a humble and exciting opportunity.  It is simply amazing to share my paintings with such a wide readership. 

How entirely humbling it is to know that my cover artwork joins the ranks of masters such as American master Norman Rockwell, John James Audubon, Constantin Alajalov, John Philip Falter, John Clymer, and N.C. Wyeth.

An American Classic

The Saturday Evening Post is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influential magazines for the American middle class, with fiction, non-fiction, cartoons, and features that reached millions of homes every week. Founded in 1821, the magazine published current event articles, editorials, human interest pieces, humor, illustrations, a letter column, poetry, cartoons, and stories by the leading writers of the time.

In Perry’s words, “The Saturday Evening Post is known for its art and artists and we hope to continue with this legacy by celebrating these pieces by Kathryn.”

The magazine was redesigned in 2013.

The 2018 Cover Artwork

Post editor, Patrick Perry told me that when he was researching artwork for an article on the annual sandhill crane migration as a natural spectacle, he came upon my artwork online. That’s when he reached out to me to have one of my paintings on the cover.  It is always the highest compliment to have my artwork valued on its own merit alone. 

In March 2018, the Post featured my painting “Splendid” – an image inspired by the photography of Micheal Forsberg.  I started painting sandhill cranes five years ago after seeing some inspiring photos taken by my friend, Mary Chessman.  Since then I have devoted intensive study of the species that has resulted in more than 50 completed works.  In these images, I explore the movement of these graceful figures in expressive compositions that include an element of abstraction. The recognition of this opportunity supported the International Crane Foundation – a research center committed to saving wild cranes throughout the world. 

The 2020 Cover Artwork

My artwork has all unfolded from the mountain valley of my home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming where I was fortunate to be born and raised on the Triangle X Ranch. Riding since before I was able to walk, my connection with horses goes back as long as I can remember.  As a girl, an Arabian gelding was my 4-H project. When I wasn’t riding horses, I was drawing them.  In high school, I was fortunate to meet the noted American artist, Ned Jacob who introduced me to a rigorous, traditional approach to drawing equines starting with anatomy and then the musculature system.  When Perry saw a connection between my horse paintings and the Post’s article on the healing power of horses, I had to agree because personally horses, and all animals, have been therapeutic for me my whole life!