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connect people Former Top Model Has an Eye for Art La Jolla philanthropist Kathryn Stephens is ready to put painting first I have always had my hands in paint ever since I could pick up a paintbrush," reflects Kathryn Redding Stephens, a La Jolla artist, philanthropist, and a former top model whose face has appeared in the pages of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Town & Country, Cosmopolitan, and Sports Illustrated. "Creating art has been my constant foundation — always there when inspiration strikes." After serving as director of philanthropy for Walden Family Services for the past nine years, where she raised critical funds for foster youth programs, Stephens has decided to gradually step back from the organization to devote more time to her art. "Working at Walden has been a wonderful experience, including using my creativity to launch a new logo for Walden when I first joined," she recalls. "I am proud of what I was able to accomplish but now it's time to switch gears and focus on my art practice." e La Jolla Historical Society selected one of her works, a mixed media painting and collage using a variety of unique paper, to promote its 2023 La Jolla Secret Garden Tour. e piece also won third place at the San Diego County Fair. Stephens prefers to work in non-toxic oil paint due to its "fluidity and richness and depth of color." Although some of her favorite subjects are lemons and gardens, she says she is now moving into a figurative phase "to capture the essence of people," using vintage family photos from the 1950s, inspired by her father who was a serious amateur photographer. Stephens studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles before signing with the Nina Blanchard BY ANDREA NAVERSEN | PORTRAIT PHOTO BY VINCENT KNAKAL ranchandcoast.com 84 AUGUST 2024 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE