Exploring the interplay between structural forms, colour and expressive mark making, Beneath the Surface presents the work of printmaker Kate Watkins.
The exhibition will place earlier monochrome figurative prints inspired by local coastal settings alongside more recent highly coloured geometric and expressive abstract artworks. One-off geometric prints are intended as representations of imagined architectural forms which provide the viewer with a meditative space in which to take shelter.
The move towards abstraction developed as a response to her father’s dementia diagnosis and the desire to explore the restorative and uplifting power of colour and mark making. Layers of transparent colour are applied over multiple printing sessions, creating complex colour relationships and subtle surface textures.
The connection between creativity, self-expression and mental wellbeing is important to Kate’s practice. The drive to keep creating in difficult circumstances became an important commitment to her own identity and well-being.
Kate has been a print maker for over 20 years, exploring a multitude of intaglio and relief print processes over that period. She has an MA in Fine Art Printmaking from Winchester School of Art and exhibits widely in local and national exhibitions. She is also a printmaking instructor and founder of Love to Print art kits.
