Kate Bentley RI SWA

Kate is an award-winning professional painter from the Lake District. In 2021 she relocated, and is now based on the Solway Coast in Southwest Scotland.

Kate originally trained as a sculptor and Theatre Designer but by 1999 she evolved into a full-time professional painter.

She is a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour and the  Society of Women Artists. Her work is held in both private and public collections throughout the UK and internationally, and she is represented by many prestigious galleries nationwide.

Kate’s location and landscape hugely influences her subject matter and historically is a ‘painter of life,’ using her en-plein air sessions and life drawing to feed her narrative paintings.

‘These narrative works are developed from her love of the human form, pattern, chiaroscuro and of course theatricality! They are initiated in the studio from mark making, working over studies and old work and a huge amount of experimentation.

Themes emerge and the narrative becomes apparent, often stemmed from life experiences, past and present.’

Kate’s most recent focus has been on her Solo Exhibition at the Whitehouse Gallery. ‘Kimono Stories’ is a body of work, centred around the traditional Kimono, which are works of art in their own right. Kimono’s are used to express stories of family and personal identity, often symbolic and autobiographical. Kate has used this vehicle to portray her own layers of narrative and hidden personal stories whilst her interest in pattern and texture is evident.