Katherine Simpson BFA

New Zealand Painter

Painting takes me to a place where I can communicate with myself on a different level - an instinctive internal adventure, without interference

$8,000

New Work 2026

Unframed

Past Work

Tension between structure and spontaneity, control and chance, stillness and movement, balance, between space and time are important to my work.Space allows the painting to breathe. I am drawn to the quiet areas and moments of pause, where the eye can rest and the image remains unresolved. What is left out can be as important as what is placed on the surface.Time is held within the layers. A painting can move backwards as easily as forwards; something may be erased, covered or sanded away, only to reappear later in another form. The surface becomes a record of its own making — a collection of decisions, interruptions and discoveries.I am drawn to the space between abstraction and recognition. Forms emerge gradually, sometimes suggesting landscape, architecture or the human figure, while remaining open to interpretation.Figurative elements often appear unexpectedly, almost subliminally, and I am interested in allowing them to exist without defining exactly what they are.
These moments of recognition sit alongside more organic and abstract forms, creating a tension between the familiar and the unknown.I don't begin with a completely resolved image. I prefer to allow the work to evolve, responding to what is happening on the surface rather than forcing it towards a predetermined outcome. Accidental discoveries often become the most important parts of the process.
For me, painting is a process of searching. It requires time — looking, waiting, responding, removing and rebuilding.
The finished work carries the evidence of that search within its surface.Ultimately, I want the paintings to retain a sense of openness and mystery, allowing the viewer to pause, look again and find something of their own within them.

e x h i b i t i o n s
1996 Whitecliffe Gallery - Group
Whitecliffe Gallery – Solo
1997 Chiaroscuro Gallery - Group
Chiaroscuro Gallery – Solo
2002 King and Teppett - Group
Gillan Gallery - Group
Gillan Gallery - Solo
2003 Gillan Gallery - Solo
Gillan Gallery - Group
Kamo - Group
2004 The Gully Lounge - Group
Gillan Gallery - Group
Gillan Gallery - Solo
2005 King and Tepett - Group
Palette Gallery - Group
Palette Gallery - Solo
2006 Edmiston Duke Gallery - Group
Edmiston Duke Gallery - Solo
2007 Oriel Gallery - Group
Oriel Gallery - Solo
2008 NKB Gallery - Group
NKB Gallery - Group
2009 NKB Gallery - Solo
NKB Gallery - Group
2010 NKB Gallery - Group
NKB Gallery - Partner show
Mansfield Gallery - Group
2011 NKB Gallery - Group
Mansfield Gallery - Group
NKB Gallery – Group
Gallery 59 - Group
NKB Gallery - Partner show
2012 NKB Gallery – Group
Gallery 59 – Group
NKB Gallery – Partner show
Gallery59 – Group
NKB Gallery – Group
2012 Collection – James Wallace

James Wallace Collection - Labyrinth

$8,000