Katalina S’Bath is an international visual artist who’s artworks appear in private and public collections worldwide. Her pieces are characterised by experimenting with techniques that vary from oil, acrylic and mixed media to coloured pencil, soft pastel, oil pastel, natural dyes. The artist practiced printmaking, enamelling and stained-glass as well as photography, video and digital art. She grew up in a creative environment surrounded by film makers, artists and writers. Early inspirations included mythology, poetry, magical-realism in the writings of Julio Cortazar and the art of Alfred Mucha and Leonardo. Many years spent living in the North of Europe lead to developing a subtle approach to understanding colour and form.
A Creative Path
Abstract Art
Abstract Painting – The beginnings
Painting has been an ongoing passion since an early age. Having lived and trained in Prague and other European cities first inspirations included the Art Nouveau. As a result, in the early years of her creative studies the artist she was criticised for her “exceedingly beautiful and feminine” artwork and was encouraged to produce ‘darker’, more ‘masculine’ works of art. While she rejected the idea of ‘dark art’, the artist’s stylistic explorations turned towards large-scale American expressionist paintings of the 20th C as well as the dynamics of the European Avant-garde. She developed her very own, striking yet personal compositional narratives in a dynamic approach that fitted well with musical inspirations. Technical experimentation was also important resulting in her first major series of paintings, ‘The Window‘, that received recognition in the form of several solo exhibitions. The following series of paintings in the early 1990s was The ‘Elements‘. Both series were exhibited in varios countries in Europe and the US and several pieces were acquired by private collections. Only a few of these paintings remain in the artist’s collection including ‘Summer on the Beach‘ (1991) and ‘The Window and the Rain‘ (1990).
‘The Window – III.’ (1992) ‘The Window‘ series, anilin and oil on canvas, 170×150 cm, in private collection, California, US
More recently, in the 2020s the artist returned to abstraction in her paintings with a new series dedicated to exploring light and the celestial bodies.
Air and Light, acrylic on paper, app. 60 x 80 cm, 2018
Abstract Drawings
The original ‘Window‘ series also included twenty abstract drawings created in in charcoal, pencil and pastels. The artist returned to abstract drawing later on in the 2020s, as a base for her new, structured oil pastel paintings. Figurative style drawings in the 1990s included portraits.
Abstract Photography
Alongside abstract paintings in the early 1990s the artist created a series of hand printed by the artist abstract photographs, ‘The Magic Breakfast’, that subsequently was awarded 1st prize in a national photography competition.
Magic Breakfast, b/w hand printed photograph, 1990
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Semi-Abstract Paintings
The artist’s move to London in the 1990s initiated a new stylistic period characterised by semi-abstract and figurative paintings inspired by Art Nouveau. The colour scheme of paintings became more unified and subtle. Several large scale paintings were painted on paper board with water based colours and pastels in blue hues creating the effect of un-earthy transcendence. This period in the artist’s artwork can be summed up as ‘The Blue Period‘.
Blue Madonna‘, acrylic and pastel on board, app. 170×60 cm, in private collection, England
Many paintings of the ‘Blue Period’ were acquired by private collectors in England. One of the pieces from the Blue Period, entitled ‘The Family’ (1995, acrylic and pastel on paper, app. 180×150 cm), was acquired by the ‘Wessex Art Collection‘.
Angels, fragment, 170 x 110 cm, acrylic and pastel on paper, 1997
Semi-Abstract photography
The semi-abstract photography of the artist in the 1990s became a basis for the artist’s later screen-printed work.
Printing, Enamelling and Stained Glass
Moving to to the West Country meant new artistic influences and opportunities for technical experimentation. While she continued to paint, the artist also joined the stained glass, enamelling and printmaking workshops at the Academy of the West of England. With the craftmanship acquired and technical support provided by the studios several series of screen-printed originals were created.
Semi-Abstract Handmade Prints
The first amongst the handprinted series, ‘Orlando‘, was inspired by notion of time. The passage and meaning of time and every aspect of it, poetic, social and physical became the focus of the artist’s attention. The series was exhibited at the British National Print Exhibition in 2000 by the Spike Island Studios in Bristol and subsequently internationally.
Orlando III. 1998
Semi-Abstract Stained Glass
Several stained glass pieces were created by the artist, abstract, figurative and some portraits: all of those are in private collectors.
Semi-Abstract Enamel Paintings and Prints
Working with the technique of enamelling, several new, smaller scale, more intimate series of miniature paintings emerged. The ‘Magic Winter‘ and the ‘Spirit‘ series were painted with enamel paint fired onto 10×10 cm pieces of metal.
‘Magic Winter = I.’, enamel on metal, 10×10 cm, 2000
Symbolic Paintings
Paintings of this period are characterised by being smaller size and becoming increasingly symbolic, focusing on spiritual subjects, as for instance the pastel Madonna of the North (2007)
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Digital Art, Videos and Ink-jet Prints
With the new Millenium digital and video-art emerged as the novel trends of the 2000s. The artist met the digital era by creating video-art and digital images, and later several series of digital ink-jet prints. These artworks screened and exhibited locally and internationally.
Digital Art
The first of the digital series is dedicated to the Botanical Gardens (2004) – a poetic tribute to the life of plants.
‘Dreaming‘, Botanical Garden’ series digital image, JVC camera, 2004
Ink-jet Prints
The ‘Botanical Garden’ series was followed by a series of bold ink-jet print cityscapes, such as the ‘Midnight Sun‘ (2005-2007) and also a series of video-art.
Symbolic Art
Symbolic Painting
In 2008 the St. Georges Fine Art Gallery asked the artist to create a large-scale solo exhibition entitled Metamorphosis with both retrospective and present day artwork of the artist.
‘Metamorphosis‘, acrylic on canvas, app. 40×70 cm, 2008
Symbolic Drawings
Portrait of a Young Girl, pastel on paper, 2007
In the 2010s the artist travelled to Latin America to study the meanings and forms of both religious and secular symbolic art and, as a result, a series of symbolic art emerged.
Nature Paintings
Landscape Paintings
In the mid 2010s a series of paintings were commissioned by the Royal Art Collection from the artist to be exhibited in Dubai on the theme of the Gardens of Paradise.
‘Azazil‘, ‘The Gardens of Paradise‘, oil on canvas, app. 60x30cm, 2003
The Park at Dawn, acrylic on canvas, app. 120×110 cm, 2019
New Abstract Paintings
Abstract Landscapes
The forced limitation on travel and periodic lockdowns in the 2019-2021 Pandemic created a unique opportunity for the revival of nature observation. The style of painting eases up, it is fresh, almost sketch-like. Colours are saturated, bright and images are luminescent with life giving light.
Through the Leaves up to the Sky, acrylic on canvas, app. 90×60 cm, 2021
Abstract Cityscapes
In the 2020s photographic and ink-jet artwork of cityscapes gives way to abstract paintings and drawings that capture moments, sensations, feelings, moods instead of representative views.
Two Suns, mixed media on paper, app. 70×50 cm, 2018
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KATALINA S'BATH - ARTIST 