We’re looking forward to introducing you to Kathleen strukoff. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Kathleen, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I volunteer with a program that goes into the schools and being with the kids is always a very joyful thing for me. Especially when I do a painting class with them and I see the magic it creates in them when they always start with a lot of trepidation.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Kathleen Strukoff and my art business is under the name La Chica Art. I am an oil painter who uses think and chunky paint. As one of my clients said “If Edward Hopper and David Hockney had a baby, it would be you” —a Palm Springs-based painter capturing the sun-soaked spirit and mid-century magic of the desert. My work blends bold color, vintage nostalgia, and modernist design, inviting you to experience California’s light and landscape in a whole new way.
I share a gallery space, KEE Gallery, with two other artists: Ernesto Ramirez and Erich Meager. We create art in very different ways so the end result is a widely diverse array of art in our space in Palm Springs.
People tell me that the work I create takes them to a time and place that touches them emotionally.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I grew up as the oldest of nine children so that meant I was insanely responsible, focused, hard working and a strong leader. A few of those things are still serving me well but many of them need to be released because I don’t need to lead as much and need to focus on my own energy and needs.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
You don’t need to be the second mother and responsible for every one else. It is OK to be a sensitive person and later in your life, people will like that about you.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
I know that I am uncertain about what the “correct” information is or the “right” way to do things, so I don’t feel like my opinion needs to be aired publicly because I think people need to have their own opinions and it might be better if most of that is not shared publicly because we are all unique and often what gets shared is opinion not fact.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That I had the essence of my mother which was positivity, kindness and childlike wonder and joy of the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: Https://www.kathleenstrukoff.com
- Instagram: @lachicaart
- Facebook: kathleenstrukoff
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kathleenstrukoff7407?si=6A2PEohLjGRO-29T
