Piece by piece: Artist's puzzle-worthy paintings come to life at Newport Beach library

Los Angeles Times

5 days ago

Kathy Kehoe Bambeck's artwork is an eclectic mix of mediums and themes — from holiday Christmas and spooky Halloween, to botanicals and birds.
And she really has a thing for monarch butterflies.
'I fell in love with the monarch butterfly, so I was drawing a lot of that. And then during the pandemic I started reading about them,' said Bambeck, a Newport Beach resident. 'I was just fascinated with them and love drawing them... I actually heard Roger's Gardens locally has milkweed, the native milkweed, which is the best thing for the caterpillars. So I bought a little milkweed plant and I put it out on my little patio.'
The longtime artist currently has an exhibit running through Aug. 22 at the Newport Beach Central Library Gallery, called 'Kathy Bambeck's Jigsaw Puzzle Art: Acrylic, Gouache, & Ink Paintings' — featuring 22 pieces on display from her collection of puzzle art.
'It's a fun exhibit,' Bambeck said. 'They did a nice job installing it, 22 originals, and there's a little display of some of my original sketches.'
In 2016 Bambeck pursued the idea of licensing her artwork for merchandise.
'I got really sick with pneumonia and the doctor was going to put me in the hospital. I go, 'No, no, I can't,'' she said.
She was able to stay home, but couldn't do much for six weeks. She said she liked the idea that putting artwork on products makes it affordable for everyday people. With time on her hands, she started researching art licensing and reached out to the president of a licensing company.
'I said, 'You know, I think my work would be really good for your company,'' she said. 'I sent him some pictures of a few things on my website and no response, and so I tried again and nothing. And then I tried again. I sent him some pictures of some bird images, paintings I had done that sold really well in my store. … And then I got an email back and he said, 'Well, you know, your birds are really intriguing. Could you do a piece with [birds]?' and he gave me some specs.'
That piece was called 'Bucket Birds' and it's included in the exhibit. Not only is it found on jigsaw puzzles, but it's also now found on doormats and garden flags.
Other artworks used in puzzles that are part of the exhibit are her haunted house-themed painting 'Haunted Haven,' 'Volleyball Beach,' 'Birdhouse Beach,' 'Beach Castle,' 'Butterfly Palette,' 'Butterfly Garden,' 'Butterfly Meadow,' 'Snowman's Surprise Guests,' 'Birdhouse Garden,' 'Birdbath Haven' and others.
Her '4th of July Beach' includes bits of Laguna Beach, Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, the Balboa boardwalk, Catalina Island and festivities celebrating Independence Day.
'A Monarch's Life' documents the life of a monarch butterfly she nurtured from egg through caterpillar to cocoon and its release during the pandemic lockdown.
She lives on the Balboa Peninsula and said there's not a lot of butterflies there, but after she put the milkweed plant on her patio, she saw a butterfly egg. 'Then I saw a caterpillar,' she said. 'I would take pictures of it and sketch it. … And I followed it from egg to caterpillar to cocoon. … And then it was born there and … the next day released it and [I] cried for an hour.'
Her love for art started at a young age. 'When I was 5 years old, some of my earliest memories are waking up in Fullerton,' she said. 'I would have a sketch pad. And I remember my earliest days, just wanting to sketch things and write about them.'
Newport Beach Central Library Cultural Arts Assistant Camille Escareal-Garcia processes all applications for the gallery exhibits and assists artists with installation. She said the Newport Beach Central Library Gallery is open to a wide variety of artworks in various mediums. The space is best suited for two-dimensional artwork — photography, painting, drawing, mixed media, textiles, etc. — though there are also display cases for smaller, three-dimensional pieces, she explained.
'This exhibit appeals to audiences of all ages thanks to the vibrant and jovial nature of Kathy Bambeck's work,' she said. 'Puzzle lovers will especially be drawn to these artworks as many of her pieces have been licensed on jigsaw puzzles by major puzzle manufacturers.'