THE WEY GALLERY |  Katty McMurray

KATTY McMURRAY

Katty McMurray was born in London in 1970. After graduating from the Chelsea School of Art in 1991 she moved to Brighton and over the last decade she has exhibited widely throughout the UK and her paintings have acquired a huge following.

Always a passionate traveller she has drawn inspiration from her travels – places such as China, Morocco, Italy and many parts of England and Scotland have been her subjects.

She is at present working from a recent trip to Norfolk and Suffolk, alongside a visit last summer to the south of Italy.

Katty’s work stems from her love of drawing. While away on location, she spends her time sketching; quickly and often using a single line, she records her immediate impressions of a place.

On returning to her studio, these drawings are used as a base for her larger paintings in oil on canvas, keeping the strong lines and using colours to recreate the atmosphere of the particular place.

Over the last decade Katty has had a series of sell out solo and mixed shows, and continues to exhibit with galleries in London and around the UK, such as Thompson’s galleries, Ingo Fincke Gallery, Lena Boyle Fine Art, Cambridge Contemporary Art, The Fairfax Galleries and The Curwen Gallery.

Katty's original handmade screen prints, are either taken directly from her sketch books or are full colour, using a series of layers to create the final prints.She has also had cards published by the Art Group and The Cannes Down Press.

In 1999 she was selected to be the Brighton Festival Poster artist and has been commissioned for a painting on the Cunard Cruise Liner the ‘Queen Victoria’, and a series of 10 paintings for ‘Harbour Way’ apartments by Taylor Woodrow for Bryant Homes.

In 2006 she was commissioned to draw a series of London Landmarks to be reproduced over 200 times on a scale of 3 metres each for ‘The Hoxton Hotel’ in London.

Last year Great Ormond Street Hospital bought two collections of Katty’s paintings, they now have over 25 works on display, and the Royal Sussex Neo- natal unit have purchased a collection of her hand made silk screen prints.

Katty lives in Brighton and had her second child last year.

‘Katty’s landscapes and seascapes are deceptively simple and serenely evocative’ – ‘Cool blue-greys and earthy shades infuse her work, even close to home she gives a fresh perspective’ – ‘The Latest’, Brighton