Artists Registry

Kathy Ruth Neal (1945-2009) was a self taught woodcarver. She always felt her grandfather, Walter Whipple, make-up artist and silent screen actor ("Hell's Hinges"-1915), influenced her lifelong interest in colors, painting, and drama. Kathy Ruth considered this influence to be a "heavenly gift" from him.
In Kathy Ruth Neal's words: "Many of my woodcarvings depict what I consider to be vignettes of American life: events of the day as well as politics. The woodcarving folk artists of Kentucky have inspired me with their pure originality and innocence. However, my style is my own, and my work may be considered more polished, more sophisticated (not better). There is much detail in my carvings, with attention to dress, facial expression, and attitude."
Kathy Ruth Neal was an identical twin, born in Oakland, California, just as World War II ended. She spent much of her life working as a TWA flight attendant, flying all over the world from London to Hong Kong. Then in 1994, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following successful treatment, she recuperated in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. While hiking the Appalachian Trail, she picked up a gnarled piece of wood and began to carve. She never stopped carving from that moment!
Her work is now seen in the SPIVA Art Center in Joplin, Missouri, the GRASSROOTS Art Center in Lucas, Kansas, the Billy Graham Museum of Religious Art in Wheaton, Illinois, and the Mattie Rhodes Art Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Many of her works are held by her life partner, Susan Sanders, in Kansas City, Missouri.