Artists

Katrina Howarth was born in Scotland in 1973. Her family moved extensively throughout the British Isles, from a small holding in South West Scotland, to a quaint English village near Cambridge, then up to the bleak jagged West Highland coast. After leaving school, in Edinburgh Howarth studied a Foundation course – an intensive exploration into all media. It was during this time at the age of 18 her love for expressing the Scottish landscape was displayed in a solo exhibition of paintings.

Leaving Edinburgh, Howarth enrolled at the Glasgow School of Art. It was here that she chose to work with ceramics. During the course of 1991-1995 the artist obtained a BA Honours Degree in Ceramic Design. During her course of study Howarth had the opportunity to travel to Spain. In Barcelona, Gaudi’s colourful harmonies and textures opened the doors of perception for Howarth. This experience was a catalyst for the transformation of the artist’s palette from the subdued somber tones of the Highlands to a vibrant sun-drenched chroma of the Mediterranean.

The theme of ‘journey’ became evident in the artist’s work when Howarth traveled across the ocean to the East coast of America. Teaching arts and crafts in a children’s summer camp and the duration of the trip travelling out to New Mexico. This journey proved to be a major turning point. After graduation Howarth continued to focus on her painting during a summer school program at the Cyprus College of Art. The theme of journey remained evident – capturing the brilliance of the sun and the vivid blues of the Mediterranean in journals and on canvas.

Using colour and form, the artist continues to experiment and explore the similarities of the landscapes of New Mexico and the landscapes of the countries that she has previously enjoyed. Her movement within the canvas explores the shadows that she has encountered out in the vastness of the desert and portrays the aspect of her pathways throughout life.