Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathleen Stafford.
Hi Kathleen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
In third grade, my teacher told me I could decorate the bulletin board if I finished my work. My art career began! I completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts in the U.S. and then studied post-grad in Rome. When my husband, Joseph, joined the United States State Department, we both learned Farsi for our first posting in Iran and completed the Consular course so we could issue visas. That way, I was allowed to accompany him to Iran since I would be working at the embassy. My job lasted two months before the embassy was overrun by militant “students,” and our colleagues were taken hostage.
We escaped out the back door with four other people as portrayed in Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning film, “Argo.” After hiding for 5 days in various homes, having to flee when we thought we would be discovered, and running out of cash, we finally called the Canadians for help. We spent 3 months sheltering with them before Tony Mendez and Julio from the CIA came and helped us escape using false passports. The fake glasses pictured were part of my disguise. That lesson taught me that life is fragile and I should pursue my passion for art without further delay. I have done that in the dozen countries where we served over 40 years at embassies, primarily in the Middle East and Africa. That involved creating art, learning languages, collaborating with other artists, and some teaching. We served in Iran, Italy, Tunisia, Cairo, Kuwait, Algeria, Washington, DC, Mauritania, Algeria and Tunisia again, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Iraq, Nigeria, Sudan and Niger.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been a zig-zag road. It is interesting now because when someone talks about a particular year, it is easy to remember where I was since every year was defined by the country where we lived: a new language, new names, some unpronounceable, new streets, different weekend days in the Islamic world, and new customs to learn. The constant changes helped develop the mental flexibility that modern life requires. So I was fortunate with that. There were moments when life could be overwhelming and frustrating, such as an electricity or water malfunction with 100 guests arriving or a family member in America experiencing a crisis when we were 8 time zones away. That was the everyday life kind of obstacles I faced besides civil unrest requiring my being evacuated for long periods from the Ivory Coast and Sudan, living with a suitcase for 9 months, never knowing when or if I could return to my husband. Creating art was the sanity saver. My success or failure was all in my hands, so even if so many other aspects of life were out of control, I had that serenity of total focus and being unaware of space or time in my hours of painting or making prints.
Thanks. What else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
To answer the question, who has helped you along the way? Some extraordinary people like my husband, Joe, have made it possible for me to succeed in my career. He has always encouraged me to pursue my art regardless of the financial income or outcome. He knows what joy it brings me and has always clarified that making art is the most critical factor. Other kind friends and art patrons from Mauritania to Kuwait also extended their hands. When I arrived in Austin, it was shortly after the Argo movie came out. For the first time, people were learning about the heroism of the CIA’s Tony Mendez and the courageous Canadian embassy staff in Iran back in 1979. We were asked to give talks on numerous occasions to Rotary Clubs, and at the Headliner’s Club, we met Sue Meller. She offered to introduce me to Austin’s artistic community, and I was delighted. Then I left town for Niger and was gone for what turned out to be 4 years. On my return, never missing a beat, she introduced me to Sharon Watkins at Chez Zee since she has always been active in the Austin creative community to see if she had any recommendations. So guess what? Now, my watercolors and prints are all around the main dining room in Chez Zee, and I am so pleased to share my encounters from all those foreign countries with the restaurant guests. I cannot imagine a more welcoming space for them. When interviewed by Michael Barnes, an Austin American Statesman, last year, Sharon said, “The watercolors Kathleen paints capture the essence of the person or the setting.” “The mothers with children on their backs, the woman washing her clothes, the tribal chiefs posing in confidence and splendor. Kathleen collects the setting and the people and pours them on the paper from their life to ours.” As a painter, it just doesn’t get any better than that.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
That would be curiosity. Whether it is about artistic methods, what’s in my new neighborhood, or the lives of the people I meet. I need to understand the world and why things are how they are. It certainly keeps life interesting.
Contact Info:
- Website: kathleen-stafford.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kstaffordfineart/
- Facebook: facebook.com/kathleenstaffordartist
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenstafford/
Image Credits
Kathleen Stafford
