About Katharine Rowe

Colour is the my main motivation for painting. I often spend up to an hour mixing paint before I touch the canvas. For me, each brushstroke needs to be deliberate. I work with Michael Harding oil paints as they are unrivalled in colour and paint on linen canvas as I love the texture.
Although I have painted on and off all my life, I have only been painting full time for the past 9 years. Previously I spent 10 years working in advertising, and felt increasingly claustrophobic working in an office when I yearned to be outside battling the elements with a paintbrush in hand.
I take my surroundings as inspiration. From the varied landscapes of London to still lifes and portraits in my studio. I am lucky to live close to the wonderful exhibition spaces of London and so often visit the galleries and temporary exhibitions on show. I look to the works of Matisse, Derain, Hockney, Van Gogh amongst others for inspiration. I often take my sketch book into town for an 'inspiration trip'.