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KATIE THOMAS – Altered Landscape – 15 Oct-1 Nov, 2024

'Uncommon Ground' (detail)

Katie Thomas draws on the tradition of European Modernism and Abstraction yet her painting also takes its cue from her engagement with the natural world in the here and now. Changes in light, colour, atmosphere and space are a direct influence on her studio practice. Large in scale, her paintings are gesturally active yet serene, providing a meditative visual realm within which one can freely roam.The six paintings in Altered Landscape are immersive. They speak gently, and are best experienced at the gallery where one can view slowly and allow the visual rhythms and counter rhythms inherent in each work to emerge. Her method is layered, persistent and thoughtful. Each section of each painting is rich with texture and detail, with arcs and swoops, spatial complexities and nuances.

‘Over the last few years I have been using an increasing variety of mark-making techniques to allude to aspects of the natural world and in this body of work the strong cursive shapes are echoes of letter forms and represent the ‘stories’ we believe and the way in which they affect our view of the world around us. In light of this, as I work outside, I am daily reminded of the indisputable joy of nature in the midst of an Altered Landscape.’
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge – Psalm 19


ARTISTS TALK: Sat 19 Oct, 11am
Join Katie Thomas and Stefan Roberts for a discussion about their exhibitions

'Follow the Signs', Katie Thomas, 2023, oil, acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 1450x1200mm, $7500   'Blossom Rain', Katie Thomas, 2024, oil, acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 1450x1200mm, $7500   'Uncommon Ground', Katie Thomas, 2024, oil, acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 1450x1200mm, $7500
'Shifting Shadows', Katie Thomas, 2023, oil, acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 1500x1500mm, $9500

'Blue Highway', Katie Thomas, 2023, oil, acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 1700x1800mm, (SOLD)   

Katie Thomas graduated with a Masters in painting from the University of Canterbury in 2010. She has exhibited throughout New Zealand and has work in private collections locally and internationally, and in the collections of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwheto and James Wallace Arts Trust.