ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES - KATE ROWLEY

My inspirations and influences are very wide, says Kate Rowley. "Matisse, Paul Klee, Raoul Dufy, nature, African art and ethnic textiles... Color is very important. Color in nature. Color in a paint pot. Color dripping off my brush."

As a child growing up in a small village in Essex, England, Kate drew, painted and also made jewelry, toys and clothes. It was only natural that she received her B.A. in Textile Design at Camberwell School of Art and Crafts in London. "I have been a professional designer ever since," she says. "I have worked in Rome and Paris, but mostly I have worked from my London studio and sold my work worldwide."

Kate's contemporary designs are bold and rich in color. She mainly uses gouache and oil pastels and tends to paint "straightforward with brushes." On occasion she uses leaves, twigs, sponges and potato prints - anything to make an interesting mark. "As a textile designer, my work is to design prints for the home decor market: sheets, comforters, shower curtains, tablecloths, rugs and even plates and wrapping paper," she says. "Posters are a lovely new departure."