KAY O ’ ROURKE
By Marilee Hudon
A Vivid and Vivacious Visual Storyteller
ay O ’ Rourke is a woman of contrasts . A popular oil painter , she is also known for her mixed media and found object sculptures . Her paintings are done with a deft hand and a flair for magical realism , while her sculptures are roughly primitive . She has gone from a failed cook to head cook ( for the same employer !), and from dawn-to-dusk family farmworker to picture-perfect housewife . Now , finally , she is known as an accomplished artist and , in my opinion , is an absolutely lovely person .
Her strength of character has grown out of hardship and hard work , yet you ’ d never know it from the free-spiritedness she exudes today . Her sense of humor – touched with a blend of childlike wonder and hard-won wisdom – is sly yet kind , and her attitude of honesty and gratefulness is a joy to be around . Her story is one of incredible pressure and resilience . It had to be to have created such a gem as Kay O ’ Rourke .
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