In 1985, reporter Kasey Kaufman found herself crouching behind a parked car, avoiding bullets during a police action in West Philadelphia that ultimately left 11 people dead and an entire city block burned to the ground. Her reporting that day contributed to her station, WCAU-TV, winning the Columbia-duPont Award for television journalism. It was a signature moment in a 30-year career as a TV reporter and anchor. But she discovered, as have many of us who left that industry, there is life after TV news.
“I think my days as a journalist definitely informs my painting,” she says. “I’m looking for the moment and looking for the, you know, just that shot that is going sort of define the piece or in this case like that brush stroke or that color.”
As someone with a lifelong appreciation for art and music, it wasn’t a huge leap, after all, to pick up a paint brush and find passion in colors, brushes and canvas. And now, the sky’s the limit for this artist who is selling her work and being commissioned by collectors. Here’s my conversation with Kasey Kaufman on the Type. Tune. Tint podcast: