Kingswood Fundraiser features Artist’s Work
By Kathy Feist
When Carol Rubsam was pursuing art at a women’s college in Chicago in 1963, there was really only one thing she was expected to achieve. “Learning to catch a husband was the whole point of an education at a women’s college,” she laughs. “Your education was to be well rounded enough to get a good husband.”
Rubsam did get a husband in her third year of college and immediately moved on to a life of wife and mother.
Forty years later, after a divorce, remarriage, two families and over 30 years in the corporate world, Rubsam finally started her art career at the age of 65.
She is now commissioned to paint wonderfully detailed portraits, which is her expertise. However her most recent favored art medium is graphite, which utilizes the use of an eraser for shading on a heavily penciled background.
Her newest venture–painting landscapes–is perhaps what has captured notice from art collectors. A lone buffalo on a grassy prairie, a dirt road stretching into a distant rain storm, white aspens huddled together in front of a barren mountain all have striking colors that evoke mood.
“I grew up on the Plains. I love the Plains,” says Rubsam who is originally from Sioux Falls, SD. “It is one of the things that has inspired me to do better at landscapes.”
Rubsam, who is president of the MidAmerica Pastel Society as well as a member with other art organizations, has won several awards. She is also the permanent artist at First Art Gallery in Olathe where she also teaches art.
Rubsam will be showcasing her works at a reception held at Kingswood Manor, 10000 Wornall Rd. on Thursday, May 3, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The reception, which includes hors d’oeuvres and wine, is a fundraiser for the Kingswood Women’s Auxiliary which benefits residents who can no longer pay for their care at Kingswood.
The art gallery reception is the second in a series at Kingswood. A new artist is introduced every two months along with a benefit reception.
The art gallery will be set up in Westminster Hall. The cost to attend the reception is $20 per person. For more information, contact 816-442-3284.