About Kate
I first learnt to paint when I was twenty nine and a new Mum. Our eldest daughter was only four months old at the time so being able to attend a week long watercolour course was an unexpected treat which felt very liberating. I appreciated having the time just to be myself and explore this new medium. Leaving class with something tangible to show for your efforts is also rewarding. That said, I found it difficult to practise my new skill when the children were so small. Teaching French, German and Spanish to secondary school children as well as being Head of Department for Spanish left me with little time, energy and motivation for my new pursuit.
Twenty-two years later, my youngest daughter invited me to paint a ceramic plate at Espressions for her Birthday party. I leapt at the chance. Although the little bat that I painted was nothing particularly special and did not really turn out how I expected post kiln, my passion for painting and being creative was born and I was soon hooked! I made a conscious decision to paint every day and see where it led me. Espressions, a lovely paint-your-own pottery shop in Canterbury became my second home.
I was kind to myself and took it one step at a time. My motivation increased with each plate! At first, I painted very slowly and my friends gently ribbed me but over time, I speeded up. Our eldest daughter was pregnant with her first child so I amused myself by painting whatever was the same size as the foetus: poppy seeds, a bee, a snail, a kitten, a bunny, a puffin, a lamb, a puppy and a lion cub. This strategy gave me just the right level of challenge I needed and kept me engaged.
When Lockdown arrived in March 2020, I was already busy painting ceramic tiles on a more or less daily basis. Painting was a great distraction and it was pleasing to see the progress I was making. I had taken home 10 ceramic paints, 14 plates, and a big bowl. When the plates were later fired, some worked out really well (the bunny and the kitten) but my penguin plates were ruined because the Ultramarine Blue ceramic paint I had became far too dark when it went through the kiln.
Painting tiles and plates had been an excellent way to finally get in touch with my creativity at the grand old age of fifty. However, I could not really afford the time, money and disappointment if a tile were spoilt in the kiln. Buoyed up by my relative success with painting ceramics, I was now confident enough to tackle watercolours again. Thus I made the decision to switch back to painting watercolours (which I had last used sixteen years previously). If a painting goes wrong, it costs considerably less to rectify than if you are painting ceramics.
I set myself the target of painting one hundred pictures over the course of that first year and rewarded myself with a bouquet of flowers of which my daughters particularly approved. I absolutely love painting now and I hope that you will enjoy seeing the fruits of my labour (pets, wild animals, people, flowers, landscapes). You may even feel inspired to pick up a paintbrush yourself and have a go.
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
Scott Adams
Why do you paint?
I love it! I particularly enjoy it when I have done a commission for someone and they are so taken with my painting that they are moved by it.
Who is your typical client?
What kind of paintings are you commissioned to do?
How do you get commissions?
What makes your paintings special?
Which mediums do you use?
When do you paint?
Where do you work?
Did you always dream of being an artist?
What motivates you?
What is your ambition?
