William Watkin

Oxford/London-based artist William Watkin is redefining contemporary abstract painting with his innovative crosshatch expressionism. Born in 1970 in Stoke-on-Trent, Watkin is a self-taught painter who began his artistic journey in his late forties, first exhibiting and selling his work in spring 2023. Despite this recent entry into the art world, his paintings have gained international popularity among collectors.

A renowned philosopher and theorist, Watkin translates his groundbreaking ideas on abstraction and perception into a deeply material and intuitive painting process. His works are bold, textural, and dynamic, characterized by vibrant color palettes, intricate geometric grids, and tactile surface techniques. His signature striped compositions balance strict structure with expressive spontaneity, blending precise layering and scraping techniques to create complex optical effects.

A Unique Painting Process: Crosshatch Expressionism
Inspired by Gerhard Richter, Bridget Riley, and Ian Davenport, Watkin has developed a distinctive scraping and layering method using customized paddles and notched tools. This technique involves building and removing layers of paint, revealing intricate textures, micro-lines, linear phasing, and ...

I have degrees from the universities of Manchester, Sussex and Queens University Belfast.

I have been professor of Contemporary Philosophy and Literature at Brunel University in West London for two decades. I have no formal artistic training.
Although I have no formal art training I have been working on contemporary aesthetic theory my entire adult life. I have also been associated with contemporary British art since befriending some of the YBAs in the late eighties and early nineties.

Featured in Saatchi Collection 2023

Solo show "Scrapes and Stripes" at The Old Piggery, as part of Oxfordshire Art Weeks May 2024