London based Artist, Katie McGowan, restarted painting in 2018 and has since found her voice with oil portraits and figurative studies. With a rich colour palette and thick, fluid brushstrokes her work seeks to embody the feminine characteristics of her studies.

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Initially inspired by life drawing sessions, where I used a pen with a slanted nib to create quick studies that had life and movement, all through small ‘waves’ of colour. My technique has since evolved to use the same slanted paint brush to create waves of oil paint, so as to incorporate more texture into my work. 

Whilst my art technique has grown from exploring using the same ‘wavy’ form in different mediums, the subject matter has been predominantly feminine. I’m drawn to paint figurative or portrait pieces as I find it fascinating to explore the many colours that make up a figure. 

My influences come from both the styles of Art and the artists behind them - I’ve always been drawn to Impressionism in terms of the use of colour and visible brushstrokes and also more recent artists like Joseph Lee have influenced my direction towards oils as a way to create thicker, impasto works.