Kate Shepherd

Who is Kate Shepherd?

Kate Shepherd is an American artist whose work has been shown in galleries and museums since 1996. She is represented by Galerie Lelong in New York City and Paris, Barbara Krakow Gallery in Boston, and Anthony Meier Fine Art in San Francisco. In her unique approach to painting, Shepherd applies thread-like lines of oil paint upon highly saturated layers of enamel. The refined lines suggest a diagrammatic drawing of both recognizable, referential structures, and also more abstracted forms. In every instance the work implies a depth of space, whether shallow or far reaching. Shepherd had a brief architectural training and uses drafting programs to build the painting images.

While they show a strong sense of resolve, they invoke a sensitivity of personal association and recollection. Her color is chosen to evoke either the emotional content of the work or to self-consciously show and contradict the trope at hand. The delicate lines are juxtaposed against glossy, durable enamel, a paint often used for architectural and industrial surfaces. She uses joined wood panels, rather than canvas which enables a mirror-like surface. Viewers often see their own reflection as much as the applied image. Hence the paintings function in real space and implied space simultaneously.