Katie Watson

Katie Watson is based in North East of England and recently graduated from Newcastle University with a First-Class Honours in BA Fine Art. Her current practise examines the universal language of visual information, and how this data is interpreted and processed.

Watson’s practice pursues a disjointed discourse, translating methods of “do it yourself” assembly into painting, she visually describes movements and processes which are ubiquitous and universally understood. Her work originates from an interest in entirely visual methods of communication, whereby linguistics are replaced with directional motifs. This vocabulary of forms includes arrows, dotted lines and speech bubbles.

Through the development of her own language of visual information, the constructed dialogues consist of fragments of pure, descriptive information, interrupted by areas of ambiguous, abstract shape. The paintings are essentially exercises in ‘gap filling’, as Watson provides only fragments of information. These elements take the form of visual descriptions of single specific properties, such as an outline, colour, or texture. This fragmented schematisation creates an interrupted logic in her work.

Constructed on bare birch plywood, Watson’s paintin...

2014-2018, Newcastle University, First-Class Honours, BA Fine Art

2013-2014, University of Sunderland, Distinction, Foundation Diploma Art and Design

July - September 2018: Woon Foundation Painting and Sculpture Prize exhibition (Shortlisted).