The Old Mission is constantly changing with the seasons and the light of day. I’ve painted it many times from below the rose gardens, but this time I was fascinated by the early December morning light as the sun was coming up. The color was amazingly bright yellow. I wanted to capture the yellow light. People were parading down the steps, cars were coming and going. Bells were ringing. I was married in front of the mission two years ago. I know many people who have had their wedding there, in the rose garden, or inside the mission. It was a happy joyful few hours of painting! Kathleen Elsey

A review in the Santa Barbara News Press about “Figuratively Speaking,” an exhibition in the Meisel Gallery: “Kathleen Elsey paints with a looser hand than the other artists, building compositions with dabs of paint and structures built from modules. Fauvist echoes sneak into her paintings, brightly hued but slightly tilted views, as in “Beach Days, Misty” and “Mission Morning Mass,” a strange and interesting take on the oft-depicted Santa Barbara Mission.” Josef Woodard Santa Barbara News Press
You might also like the bright and bold painting "Old Mission, Early" painted by California colorist, Kathleen Elsey.