Born in 1972, Katharine Lightfoot is a Devon-based artist who graduated from the University of Plymouth in 1995 with a degree in Fine Art.
In 1998, she moved to Dartmoor, inspired by the moorland's remote beauty and its animal's stubborn ability to survive the elements with apparent ease. Primarily working in oil, her large canvases capture the tension and movement of her subjects.
Her portraits of sheep, particularly, catch their inquisitive nature and uneasy stare just moments before they turn and run. In 2001, Foot and Mouth devastated the region.
Dartmoor was closed to the public and, understandably, Katharine\'s work was temporarily curtailed. Instead, she started a series of seascapes of the North Devon coast, changing direction and style and using a minimal pallete, to evoke overcast winter scenes and rough seas.
She continued painting large-format sea and sky scapes while in Orkney. The ensuing series of canvasses reveal a moody, exploration of light with a sense of space and timelesness reminiscent of her Dartmoor paintings.
Her first major exhibition was at the Arndean Gallery, Cork Street, London. Her work is included in collections in London, France, America and Hong Kong.