Our Frame of Mind

Finding Light, Movement, and Calm Beneath the Surface

For Kathleen Streitenberger, art has always been both refuge and revelation. Growing up in a small house with a big family, drawing became her quiet space, a way to carve out moments of calm and focus. That early love of making never left her, eventually leading her to earn a BFA from the Columbus College of Art & Design and build a creative career balancing structure, exploration, and intuition.

Kathleen’s professional path has been as layered as her paintings. She’s worked in theme park design, high-end wallpaper, and surface design, all while maintaining a freelance practice. But it wasn’t until years later, after illustrating a children’s book and enrolling in the Visual Arts Passage online program, that oil painting re-entered her life in a meaningful way. An experimental illustration assignment prompted her to pull out oil paints for the first time since college, and the experience proved transformative. Once she began painting in oils on canvas, she never looked back.

Framed in our Gallery Matte White Canvas Float Frame, this dynamic underwater painting by Kathleen Streitenberger shines with crisp contrast and modern edge.

Drawn to Water

As Kathleen’s painting practice evolved, her subject matter revealed itself organically. While collecting reference images, an instructor noticed a recurring theme: water. Pools and oceans surfaced again and again, reflecting some of her happiest memories. The clarity of blue water, the way light dances across its surface, and the sense of calm it creates continue to shape her work today.

Her style is impressionistic, focused on movement, atmosphere, and light. Using a palette knife keeps the paint loose and expressive, while brushwork adds moments of detail and refinement. Oil paint is essential to her process in itself. Its flexibility, buttery texture, and capacity for layering allow her to work intuitively, capturing fleeting moments alla prima or building depth through glazes when the piece calls for it.

Color plays a starring role, especially aqua and varying shades of blue and green. Kathleen is inspired by both the expansive openness of the ocean and the clean geometry of swimming pools, their surrounding architecture, reflections, and refractions. These spaces hold joy and ease for her, feelings rooted in time spent swimming and simply being near water.

A Portrait with Meaning

One standout work, Portrait of a Pool Ladder – Scottsdale, began during a February trip to Arizona with her late husband. On a crisp, sunlit day, Kathleen photographed the hotel pool, continuing her ongoing series of “portraits” focused on pool ladders. The piece took shape through careful planning, beginning with value sketches on the flight home and continuing through stretching and gessoing the canvas before transferring and painting the final image.

For this piece, Kathleen chose a simple white frame to echo the clarity and balance of the subject itself. The frame allows the color to breathe, acting as a quiet visual pause that supports the composition without competing with it. To her, framing is not an afterthought, it’s an essential part of how the entire artwork is experienced.

Framing as a Portal

Kathleen wants her work to feel like a portal, an invitation for the viewer to step into another place. While painting, she often feels immersed in the scene, and she hopes that same sense of escape carries through to the viewer. The right frame helps guide that experience, shaping how someone enters the work and how long they linger there. 

Floating frames are her favorite American Frame style. Their clean, contemporary lines complement the impasto surfaces of her paintings while preserving a sense of openness. That subtle space around the canvas reinforces the calm and clarity she strives for in every piece.

Looking Ahead

Currently, Kathleen is working on a commissioned piece featuring children at the pool, inspired by a joyful reference photo shoot filled with playful underwater expressions. Looking ahead, she’s excited to continue exploring close-up figurative paintings of children underwater, balancing these expressive portraits with quieter studies of pools and ladders, which she affectionately calls “pools in the wild.”

When asked what advice she’d offer fellow artists about framing, her answer is clear: “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” Thoughtful framing elevates the work, honoring the time, emotion, and intention behind it.

“The frame is all part of the work,” she says. For Kathleen Streitenberger, it’s one more way to invite viewers into her happy place beneath the surface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How did you first find American Frame?
A: I first found American Frame through a Google search. What really stood out was the personal service. I called and had a long, very helpful conversation with someone on the team. They sent me samples right away, so when I was ready to frame my first piece, I went straight to the samples and placed my order with confidence. They also took the time to answer my questions about archival backing and tape before I ordered, which I truly appreciated. Being located nearby was an added bonus since I was working on a deadline, and the frame arrived quickly.

Q: How does framing affect how artwork is experienced?
A: Framing shapes the viewer’s first impression and guides how they visually enter the artwork. The right frame can create balance, encourage longer viewing, and reinforce the mood of the piece. American Frame designs frames to act as a visual transition between the artwork and its environment.

Q: How can the right frame help artwork stand out in a gallery or home?
A: A thoughtfully chosen frame creates visual separation from surrounding space, helping artwork command attention without overwhelming the room. American Frame frames are designed to enhance presentation in galleries, studios, and residential settings alike.

Q: Do you have any tips or tricks for framing with a float frame?
A: I usually stretch my own canvases, making sure they stay square and true with precise right angles. When fitting the work into a float frame, I use playing cards as spacers to keep the reveal even on all sides. I stand them upright between the canvas and the frame so everything stays snug while I check the spacing. In the end, I rely on my eye, since that final visual check is always my true measure.

Once the placement feels right, I flip the frame and canvas onto a soft surface. I rest it on a slightly smaller, raised square so the frame edges stay clear, then mark the American Frame mounting holes directly onto the stretcher bars. I take everything apart, drill small pilot holes, and reassemble using the provided screws.

After the frame is secure, I finish the back with archival paper. I first run acid-free tape around the outer edge of the frame, trim the paper flush to the edge, and then add a printed label with my logo and the painting details, including the title and size. I adhere the label using sticky-backed paper.

To finish, I measure and mark the placement for the screw eyes, drill the holes, insert the screws, and run coated wire from one side to the other. I prefer coated wire for its durability, clean finish, and how it feels in my hands.

Q: Where can I learn more about Kathleen's work?
A: To view or purchase Kathleen’s work, visit kathleenstreitenberger.com, follow her on Instagram @kathleenstreitenberger, or explore her prints on Etsy at StudioStreitenberger.