Landscape. Colour. Harmony

Katie Allen is an internationally acclaimed Welsh painter. Trained in Fine Art at Bath Academy of Art, her works primarily depict the Welsh landscape as it changes through the seasons. The paintings, when viewed as a whole, are homogeneous depictions of the natural world; upon closer inspection they become detailed abstract patterns composed of intricate designs and subtle colour harmonies.

This exhibition of new works is articulated around the flow of water. From mountain streams in the Brecon Beacons, through meadows of the Allt Rhyd y Groes nature reserve near Llandovery then Penllegaer Woods to the ocean at Port Eynon, and from the more northerly Betws-y-Coed in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park down to Bodnant Gardens, Katie takes us on a journey through ever changing colour palettes. Black rock gives way to undergrowth reds and earth tones to luscious greens and flowers of vibrant yellows and pinks, completing the journey with two mesmerising seascapes of falling cliffs covered in wild flowers and gorse.

“It is said paintings should not need words and are their own language However, the viewer may find it informative to know my inspiration comes from the natural world, as I see it, when walking in the landscape and observing the changing seasons, colours and plant life.

Using this as a starting point, the actual paintings are concerned with resolving the formal aspects of picture making, i.e. composition and colour harmony with the more technical aspect of manipulating and controlling the paint. The physical act of painting is, for me, a form of meditation, of single pointed concentration and a place of refuge. I aim to produce work which is harmonious, beautiful and carefully crafted, I believe art should engage, not alienate, therefore I try to create works which draw the viewer into my world, as I perceive it.”

Snowdrops Green Cwm, 64 x 151 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Spring Garden Bodnant II, 75 x 100 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Spring Garden Bodnant I, 75 x 100 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Spring Garden Bodnant III, 75 x 100 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Penllegaer Wood, 120 x 150 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Bay II, 75 x100 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Allt Rhyd y Groes I, 70 x 50 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Allt Rhyd y Groes II, 70 x 50 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Allt Rhyd y Groes III, 70 x 50 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Hawthorn Spring Medow, 122 x 150 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Hawthorn Spring Meadow, 122 x 150 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Glynneath Falls I, 64 x 151 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Glynneath Falls, 120 x 150 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Around Nebo Study I, 40 x 30 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Afon Sawdde from Llyn y Fan Fach II, 40 x 30 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Afon Sawdde from Llyn y Fan Fach I, 40 x 30 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Around Nebo, 93 x 50 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Autumn Betws y Coed, 150 x 120 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

Gorse Headland, 140 x 75 cm, Acrylic on Dibond

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