Louisiana, Environment & Frida Kahlo: An Interview With Kate Wynne-Eyton
In this exclusive interview, we have the opportunity to take a look into the creative world of Kate Wynne-Eyton, an acclaimed British artist. Trained in the USA in the early '90s, Kate's work centres around the use of light and colour to capture and express her transcendent reality.
She takes inspiration from the Bay Area figurative artists in exploring the extraordinary in the ordinary. Her focus on the connection with the landscape and the importance of preserving it is impeccably showcased in her works.
We are thrilled to gain an insight into the mind and motivations of such a talented artist and are excited to share her story with you.
Kate Wynne-Eyton. Image courtesy of the artist.SAH: As an artist who has trained in both the USA and the UK, could you describe how your experiences have influenced your artistic style and techniques?
KWE: My art training in both countries was very different.
I was just 16 when I started art college in the UK, where the focus was on experimentation and learning how to think.
Those years were formative and expansive and I produced work that I’m still proud of. But in hindsight, it felt like a sink-or-swim environment and at times the criticism could be tough.
I was 20 when I arrived in the USA and I resumed my fine art studies at LSU and was introduced to work by American artists. Louisiana, in the Deep South, is light and hot and the sky is an intensely deep blue. It was so far from everything I had ever known. The art, the sunshine, the culture, the positive way people interacted, and the cultural vibrance, all left a lasting impression and shaped who I became.
In the USA, I felt I could shed my insecurities and be whoever I wanted; although I missed home, being far away was liberating. My work from that time was about the push and pull of those two worlds, and sometimes, the pain of young adulthood.
At LSU, I was encouraged to paint large and make bold, expressive marks. I worked in oil paint, mixed media and collage and painted without overthinking or analysing.
I felt nurtured and cared for by the professors, who taught the craft of painting and drawing. I was inspired by my fellow art students and class critiques were positive and supportive. Those vibrant times and people and places still shape my pallet today, although I realise now that learning to make art doesn’t stop when you graduate – it is very much a lifelong endeavour.
Kate Wynne-Eyton. Woodland Stream at Twr. Acrylic on 2 canvases.SAH: Your connection to the landscape highlights your interest in environmental conservation. How does this influence your art, and how do you hope to inspire others to protect the environment through your work?
KWE: I’m in awe of the natural world and try to communicate this through my work; it’s a call to look with new eyes at what’s around us. I paint the plants and animals that belong and are native because these can be overlooked as ordinary and taken for granted, or annihilated as vermin, weeds or pests. I try to invite love for all life in my paintings, and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all life. This is one of my creative impulses.
At my home, I’m working on a garden where wildlife coexists with artwork, earth forms and the growing of organic food.
It is a labour of love and a learning journey, drawing on practices from permaculture, yard art and land art; creativity at its most elemental. This feeds back into my paintings, and in this way, I add my voice and visual language to the conversation about the environment, to be part of collective change.
SAH: Frida Kahlo is one of your influential artists. How has her influence manifested in your art, and what aspects of her work resonate with you the most?
KWE: Frida Kahlo communicated the experiences of her life accessibly and honestly, without censorship or judgement – it’s all there – the agony and the ecstasy, as she lived it, in total self-acceptance. I find this humbling, moving and inspiring, and identify with her yearning for home when she was in the USA.
My creative impulse is also to communicate my experiences; the feelings, stories, memories, lessons and meanings held in particular places, people and objects and I sometimes use the creative act to transmute pain into something hopeful.
SAH: You've expressed a fascination with art as prayer, can you expand on this idea and how it relates to your artwork?
When I was in my twenties, I encountered Buddhist monks patiently producing devotional art in Tibet, and I was deeply affected by these encounters. Prayer and meditation are now part of my life, and I try to adopt this calm mindset when I paint.
It is about quietly and patiently exploring ways to visually express gratitude for life, acceptance of all things, and the interconnectedness of all things. It means I feel at peace with the outcome, both visually, and in terms of a painting’s reception with others.
Kate Wynne-Eyton. Forest Bathing at St Dyfnog's Well. Acrylic on paper.
Kate Wynne-Eyton. Dogwood. Acrylic on canvas.SAH: Do you remember the earliest memory of when you wanted to do what you do today?
KWE: I always loved to draw and paint as a child, and have very early memories of my drawings. My younger self was not commercially minded and I didn’t think ahead to how I would earn a living as an adult, even during my art studies.
I’m taking steps now to become a self-supporting artist, but pending this happening, I’m grateful for the portfolio career I currently enjoy. I’ve been able to reduce my “day job” hours to fit in more painting over the last few years.
SAH: How do you go about transforming an idea into a painting?
KWE: My paintings emerge from sketches of what has been going on in my life, my family and friends, my favourite places I return to over and over, and the plants and animals I observe in my garden and on my daily walks, as I take in the changing seasons. Sometimes, an image changes a lot once I get into it and it becomes about something I wasn’t expecting.
Kate Wynne-Eyton. Coombe Hill. Acrylic on Canvas.SAH: What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
KWE: I’ll share my advice to myself, although I’m still experimenting and haven’t worked out all the answers yet.
Be kind to yourself, be true to yourself, and keep going when what you are doing lights up your life.
Love the process in the studio and out - the people you encounter, the other artists, the events, the workshops, the books, the exhibitions – they are all part of it.
Creativity is a gift that ebbs and flows. Go with the flow.
Selling matters, so invest time and energy in it. Build relationships with people who love your work, or who may grow to love it as you evolve.
Ask advice from people you respect. There are so many people out there who want to help you, and be generous in sharing what you know, and who you know, to help others.
SAH: What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Currently, you can see my work at:
The virtual “Drawn to Nature” exhibition held by Smart Artist Hub
on my website at www.katewynneeyton.art
in real life in my studio at Bucks Art Weeks – see details at www.bucksartweeks.org
I sell original paintings and am starting to produce limited-edition prints and cards. I love learning from other artists and am always keen to share resources and ideas, so please reach out if that is something you are interested in too.