Biography
I have always been fascinated by stories & have a deep love of film, which combines the two elements I thrive on the most: imagery and narrative.
At university I started to look in depth at the construction of a film: how do images go together to form a cohesive plot, which elements or scenes are crucial to this? How do colour, light, shadow, camera angle, focus, objects and location play a part in intriguing and capturing your imagination, enabling the viewer to pick up on the essence of an idea and sparking off their imagination so they themselves bring something to the viewing experience
I originally used film scenes to look into this but soon wanted to set up my own stills. I began to collect objects that would enable me to do this, dice, insects, cameras, letters, papers, anything that had a sense of intrigue about it. I then played around with setting up small still lives, lighting them differently, changing the focal point to emphasise a certain item and then working these into paintings.
I became more involved in the process of this, enjoying the translation of light into paint, the properties of pigments and the challenge of photorealism. The fact that I can get more detail into a painting than I can from a photograph, I can enhance and play around with oversaturated colour and light. The vivid colour of the chosen objects reflecting the nature of their temptation and their glossy, sleek appeal. The dice open up questions of fate, chance and the curveball effect and perhaps these objects drew me to them by the very fact that they are caught up in forces larger than themselves.
The element of the story moves to the forefront with the use of black and white imagery, stripping away colour, leaving objects or locations as the central element but at the same time introducing a person. Who is the character behind the card game? Who is ‘The Thinker’ exploring the material world under a magnifying glass? Who wrote the letter? Or as the image is often a point-of-view shot, is it actually you the viewer?
Written by Will Thorburn for the catalogue accompanying Kate’s solo exhibition with Alon Zakaim Fine Art
‘Brinkworth presents a series of compelling photorealist paintings which reach to the heart of the glamour and seductive appeal of vice, invoking images of shared temptation and the thrill of a risk.
Brinkworth’s meticulous, highly detailed compositions draw on the language of photography to create glossy, sleek images which capture the allure of the iconic images she represents. Her bright, larger than life canvases draw us into a world of entertainment and desire, inviting us to revel in the vivid symbols of temptation that Brinkworth presents.
While many of the paintings explore Brinkworth’s interest in the oversaturated colours of the gambling table, others open up new avenues for the artist by exploring other iconic imagery of our time.
By transforming the photographic imagery of commercial products into unique, painstakingly executed oil paintings, she undermines the language of advertising, and transforms the mass-produced, machine made objects so familiar to us into unique and original works of art. Kate Brinkworth has exhibited widely throughout the UK and North America since 2001. Stemming from a curiosity in the effects of photography, her colourful still lifes are portrayed in varying degrees of focus. Working with an accomplished hand and a precise technique, Brinkworth skilfully deceives our perception in each of her playful scenes.’
www.alonzakaim.com
30 Cork Street London W1S 3NG
Exhibitions/CV
2023 – ‘The Frontier’ and ‘Hard Rock Motel’ were both included in the ’Summer Daze’ exhibition at the Maddox Gallery, London – spanning their two galleries in Mayfair & Notting Hill.
Past exhibitions include yearly shows with:
Mark Jason Gallery 2003 –
Alon Zakaim Gallery, Cork Street, Mayfair since 2006
Holmer Gallery, Sweden 2007- 2016
Envie D’Art Gallery, Paris
TAG Fine Arts, London 2016 –
2015 world tour exhibition with Coca-Cola celebrating the 100th year of the design of the Coke bottle.
Kate’s work can be found in many private collections around the world including those of Coca Cola, The Rolling Stones, Team Penske, GUS, Domaine des Jeannes, Hamilton Princess Bermuda.
She has also collaborated with Supreme & Purling London.
Judge for the Theo Paphitis Art Prize.
Kate works closely with Winsor & Newton, delivering lectures on pigments, workshops & demo videos.
Guest lecturer at various universities.
Kate’s work is also found in the auction houses of Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Phillips de Pury & Bonhams.