Three by Three: Guest Artists in Focus
QUESTION 2. Titles like Dawning and Twilight suggest atmosphere and transitions. What draws you to threshold moments—arrival, fading, in-between states—as a recurring energy in your abstractions?
ANSWER 2. This was my first contemporary landscape piece, so the experience and process itself was completely organic. For the first time I approached a canvas without a clear idea of the outcome; forcing me to relinquish a lot of control, which in itself was liberating. I then instinctively gave the land and sky their own identity through the treatment and application of materials; highlighting the juxtaposition between the land and the sky. So, on viewing the final piece, reflecting of the process and my artistic development, Twilight seemed the natural choice.
Katie Daw
Painter
MEDIUM: mixed-media (predominantly acrylics)
BIO: I am a Hampshire based two-dimensional abstract artist with a sculptural background. There are sculptural influences within my paintings, through the attitude in which I approach a piece and the importance I place on the harmony of compositional balance.
My work focuses on capturing the unique rhythm found within nature, viewed and interpretated through an abstract lens. Inspired by nature's kaleidoscope with it's ever change palette, shapes and patterns.
It is these three components that drives my work and within my interpretation I also seek to encapsulate a sense of movement. This is achieved through the clean, bold brushstrokes and the continuity of line that runs throughout my artwork; suggesting a sense of infinity.
The chaotic elegance and repetition of shapes and swirls within my artwork is deliberately counterbalanced by a selective colour way. Keeping to a limited colour palette allows the individual colours to bounce off each other without detracting from the fluidity of the piece.
SHOPIFY: KatieDawArt
QUESTION 1. In abstract work, the viewer often searches for patterns or imagery. How do you balance leaving space for interpretation while still giving the composition a strong internal logic?
ANSWER 1. Each piece within my Abstract Bloom series starts with a bud/petal like formation in which the rest of the painting evolves. This is the suggestive element of the piece, but the essence of my work is to encapsulate the movement and interaction of these elements and create a sense of continuation and growth, that allows the viewers eye and imagination to wander beyond the painting.
Abstract Bloom 5 - 50 x 50cm - Acrylics on stretched canvas
All copyright and reproduction rights are reserved by Katie Daw.
Artwork may not be reproduced in any form without the artist's express written permission.
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Abstract Bloom 6 - 50 x 50cm - Acrylics on stretched canvas
Twilight - 70 x 70cm - Mixed media on stretched canvas
QUESTION 3. Your work embraces chaos and experimentation, but collectors often want cohesion across a body of work. What do you consider the signature “thread” that makes a painting unmistakably yours?
ANSWER 3. For me it is definitely the continuity of line that is a consistent feature in all my work to varying degrees. It's how I emphasis movement, energy and rhythm. My brushstrokes are bold and clean but never blunt and resolute.