ABOUT
Katie May
Katie May
Katie May is a lino print artist and poet based in the estuary settlement of Wivenhoe. After two decades working in therapy and education, she made the move to full-time artist six years ago — bringing with her a deep understanding of emotional life and the ways in which feelings and experiences can be difficult to put into words.
Her work has always been a response to the human condition. Rooted in floriography, the language of flowers, Katie’s work draws on the symbolic power of the natural world to express the things we feel but struggle to articulate — grief, joy, resilience, wonder, love.
Each lino cut is paired with a piece of her own poetry, creating work that is both visual and contemplative. Pieces to return to, for inspiration or quiet comfort.
I came to lino printing looking for a slower, more contemplative way of making and expressing. There’s something about the quiet, traditional process — the resistance of the material, the commitment of each cut — that asks you to be present. I find that meditative. Uniquely, I also paint each carved block in soft oil inks, so that each print is entirely individual and spans a space between a painterly and print effect.
I work from the studio in my garden, next to the estuary, and from Mudlark Studio, also in Wivenhoe, a shared creative space where I also teach. Both places find their way into the work somehow — the light, the water, the particular space, quiet and shifting of this part of the world.
I spent a long time helping other people find ways to be able to express themselves. In many ways I’m still doing that — just differently now.