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ABOUT KATHY NETTLES ART

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ARTIST STATEMENT

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I create colour-drenched works on linen canvas and paper, embracing natural pigments, oil, and materials that echo my childlike wonder and deep reverence for the beauty of nature. My practice is grounded in tactile exploration and intuitive mark-making, where each piece becomes a joyful dialogue between material, memory, and the living world.

My art is abstract expressionist – loose brushstrokes, vibrant colours that work together, and a focus on how the paint feels. I try to capture the spirit of nature, not just copy it exactly. I want the energy and emotion to come through.

Growing up, I was always touching everything!  I loved feeling different textures, and that still drives my art. I start by sketching, writing down words, and playing with colour to capture what I see, hear, and feel. It's more about suggesting an idea than making a perfect copy.

Sounds and words are significant to me. I often write things on the canvas before I even start painting – notes about where I was, and what I was thinking, smelling, feeling.  They're part of the process even if you can't see them later.

I build up layers of paint, then scrape them back, revealing what was underneath. It's like a constant back and forth, and it can take days, weeks, or even months. The final painting isn't just about the subject; it's a piece of myself too.

ARTIST BIO & EXHIBITIONS

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Kathy Nettles creates vibrant, colour-drenched works on linen, paper, and board, using natural pigments and oil to evoke a deeply personal and sensory connection with the natural world. Her large-scale paintings are rooted in direct, awe-filled encounters with the landscape—lying beneath trees, gazing through shifting light, or sitting quietly among wild Bog Irises at the edge of a pond. These expansive pieces are gestural and intuitive, inviting the viewer into a space of wonder, memory, and immersion.

 

Alongside these works, Nettles explores a contrasting intimacy through a series of smaller, abstract floral paintings on board. With tighter, denser mark-making and a more contained visual language, these pieces reflect on what it means to bring nature indoors—to translate the wild into the domestic. This duality between immersion and containment, between the untamed and the curated, is central to her practice.

 

Whether working large or small, Nettles embraces a material language that mirrors her childlike reverence for the natural world—layered, luminous, and alive with feeling. Her work blurs the line between abstraction and environment, offering viewers a quiet yet powerful invitation to rediscover nature’s vitality in both the wilderness and the everyday.

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With a background in Nutritional and Holistic Therapy, Nettles brings a unique understanding of the healing connection between nature and creativity. This appreciation is reflected in both her art and her approach to living.

Through her regular blog posts, she shares her artistic journey, offering insights into her process and inviting collectors to become part of her growing creative community. Her collections include original oil paintings, high-quality prints, and a curated range of soft furnishings—perfect for adding a touch of artistic elegance to any space.

From 2018 to 2023, Nettles honed her craft at the prestigious Newlyn School of Art in Cornwall, including completing the year-long Professional Landscape Mentoring Programme. She has also studied under renowned artist Ashley Hanson, further developing her distinctive voice and expressive style.

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EXHIBITIONS

 

2025

  • Coast, Colour, Canvas Gallery, Roskilly's Farm. 12th - 25th May.  Group exhibition featuring all the artists exhibiting at the Gallery in 2025.​

  • Solo show and workshop at RHS Rosemoor, 21 June - 20 July.

  • SWAc London Exhibition 'Light in the West', RWS Gallery at 3-5 Whitcomb Street, London. 18th - 24th July.  Private viewing, 18th July.

  • Guest Artist at Coast, Colour, Canvas Gallery, Roskilly's Farm.  9th - 16th August.

  • SWAc Dartmoor Exhibition, (Title to follow), 6th - 15th September.  Private viewing 5th September.

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2024

  • Sussex Art Fair, Goodwood, UK. 10th - 12th May 2024

  • Artizan Gallery, Torquay, UK. 17th September - 16th October 2024 (Group exhibition with Jane Hirst and Ali Hirst)

 

2023

  • UK (2023)'Wild Earth'  Group Show, Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens. UK. 23rd - 25th June 2023.

  • Solo exhibition/event, Coombe Park, Mare and Foal Sanctuary.  UK. 21st June 2023.​

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2021

  • Grand Living Realty Art Show, Palm Coast Florida, (2021).

  • Devon Open Studio Tour, Devon, UK (2021).

  • ‘Cornwall, Colour and Coast’, Henley on Thames, UK (2021).

  • 'Autumn: My Horses in the Landscape'.  Solo Exhibition at The Castle, Bude, UK​

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