fter spending her childhood in Norway and studying fine art and archaeology in London, Florence and Bath, Katrina Wallis-King draws, paints and produces prints that all explore her love for landscape and nature in general. ‘I think, deep down, I’ve always thought of myself as an artist. After graduating from university, I spent a year painting and drawing in Florence, hoping to lay my creative frustrations to rest. I returned to London and eventually settled in Bath, and later, as an addictions counsellor, many of my sessions included encouraging people to reconnect with old hopes and dreams, or take a risk and explore new horizons and I started wondering if it was time for me to follow my own advice. Eventually, I made a conscious decision to get away from my everyday environment, to do something that had personal meaning and value, and signed up to a workshop tutored by pastel painter, Sara Bee, whose work I already admired. Her workshop was a watershed moment for me and I returned home with a resolve to keep exploring. A few months later, I had completed work for open submission to the Pastel Society’s 2019 exhibition and in the 2020 Award. I have continued exploring on a largely self-taught basis, with the occasional life drawing or printmaking class.’
