Artospective: Paintings by Katie Buckett from London.

Likeness of Layla

An Interview with Katie Buckett.

Who and where are you from?

Katie Buckett, 33 yr. old artist and musician living in London. I'm originally from a suburb north of Cincinnati, Ohio. I went to Pratt Institute in New York City and now live in London and work as a full-time oil painter specializing in large-scale hyper-realism.

How you got into this?

I was lucky enough to fall into becoming a pupil of a really great teacher when I was a teenager who taught me the basics and filled me with confidence in my talent and the knowledge that working hard and becoming an artist could open doors for me, which it did.

What is your driving force?

I consider myself a truth seeker. I'm drawn to understanding light, the capturing of the essence of something. I feel very driven at the moment painting my current project which depicts endangered animals and a huge oak tree for it's beauty but also because I feel purposeful when I use my art to discuss issues I think are important. I feel sometimes that I have no control over making the world a better place, but when my paintings provoke conversations about injustice and unnecessary suffering , I feel that I'm at least doing my part.

What kind of work you do and why?

I like life size because the viewers relationship to the painting is on more equal footing and is a good foundation for daydreaming. I like to think about the border of my canvas as the edges of a window. Just realistic enough to evoke reality but with the aspects of a dream or the result giving you a bit more essence than reality has to offer.