Katy Papineau (b.1991, London, UK) is a figurative painter. Her practice encompasses drawing, painting and printmaking. She graduated in Philosophy from the University of Bristol in 2014, and completed The Drawing Year at The Royal Drawing School in 2019. Since graduating she has participated in artist residencies in France and Italy, and she presented her debut solo exhibition at Blue Shop Gallery in July 2023. Papineau is part of the faculty at the Royal Drawing School, where her teaching focuses on symbolism, memory and imagination.
Papineau is interested in the malleability of memory and ambiguity of human relationships. Her practice begins in observations of everyday life. Drawing in public spaces, she observes people going about their lives and the interactions that take place between them. She takes these drawings back to the studio, allowing the images to gestate in her mind, taking on new meanings and merging with her own history. She paints from pencil drawings and written notes, allowing her inner life to influence her colour choices. Colour is used as a vehicle to express experience beyond the visual - her paintings contain sounds, scents, emotions and memories.