For the Love of Art and Swimming Pools
Swimming pools have become a compelling subject for painters and photographers, resulting in an artistic subgenre that has built a growing audience over the past several years. Here Laura Carew of AQUA Magazine, profiles the work of one artist who is taking pool-based art in a fresh direction.
By Laura Carew
This article first appeared in the November 2024 issue of AQUA Magazine.
Pool enthusiast knows the feeling of euphoria when they spot their favorite one, whether it’s an architectural marvel, a beautiful casting of water upon blue tile or a pool that fulfills a nostalgic yearning for a childhood memory.
For artist Kathleen Streitenberger, the latter is true. As a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, she grew up with fond memories of Philipps Swim Club on the West Side, a historic public swimming pool that became one of her original muses.
“I spent my whole childhood there, so it all made sense,” Streitenberger says. “I figured, ‘No wonder this is my happy place.’ All of my paintings are blue and underwater. It has to be blue, and it has to be a pool.”
Streitenberger uses an alla prima approach in her work, which is Italian for “at first approach.” It is a wet-on- wet painting style, where she uses oil paints and a palette knife to imitate the reflections, refractions and constant movement of water. What remains is an intricate and illustrative depiction of a swimming pool that comes alive within the constraints of a still image.
“It took a minute to figure out what my ‘thing’ was, but the moment I did, I knew it was swimming pools,” she says.
Swimming pools might feel limiting as a muse to some, but Streitenberger finds the smallest details and manages to make them sing in her work. “I really enjoy the different shades that show up in a pool,” she explains. “They can look like lakes, depending on the shadow. I think the color is huge, and how everything reflects…it’s all very cool.”
From one piece to another, her passion bleeds through the canvas to the eye of the beholder. The water comes alive for her, each precise paint stroke capturing the ineffable beauty of a swimming pool.
Much of her work features some type of figure to contrast the water and force depth and different perspectives of the subject. “That’s another favorite of mine,” Streitenberger says. “There’s always stripes on the pool, or shadows in it. The shadows that are created by a figure in a pool are awfully cool when you’re half underwater and half above.”
One such painting that explores this phenomenon is titled “Garibaldi.” It features a swimmer in a bright orange swimsuit, their head cresting the surface of the pool. The frame of the painting remains under the water, and Streitenberger emphasizes the refractions of light with a blurred technique, emulating the distortions of water in real life. “It looks like her head is on fire or something,” she reflects.
As an artist, Streitenberger is always looking to the future and where her artwork can take her. She was recently featured in a gallery for the first time, which crossed off a large bucket list item for her. Now, she’s dreaming even bigger.
“Of course, I’d love my own show where the whole room was full of my art,” she says. “I think about the whole experience, not just art on the walls. I want to make huge paintings, and I hope they’ll end up in gigantic, bazillion dollar homes one day.”
The possibilities are endless when it comes to the beauty of swimming pools, and the future is bright for Streitenberger and her sensational work.
More of Kathleen’s paintings can be found on her website, kathleenstreitenberger.com.
Laura Carew joined AQUA in the summer of 2024. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in History.