Katie McGowan is redefining contemporary painting through Wavism—a dynamic, immersive approach where movement becomes form. Her signature sweeping brushstrokes and bold, layered colour palettes create a rhythm that transcends figuration, giving shape to energy, emotion, and transformation.

Rooted in the expressive freedom of Impressionism and the physicality of contemporary impasto, McGowan’s work moves fluidly between intuition and structure, spontaneity and intent. Her figures are not rendered, but revealed—emerging organically through gesture, as if carried by currents of light and colour.

At the core of her practice lies an exploration of the female experience—not as something to be observed, but as something to be felt. Her work holds space for both strength and softness, vulnerability and power, capturing the complexity of identity with raw, resonant clarity.

Wavism began as an instinct: a way of thinking through motion, of using fluidity to define form. Early ink studies gave way to oil paintings, where movement took on mass, and emotion took on texture. Influenced by the dynamism of Impressionist masters and the bold materiality of artists like Joseph Lee and Elena Gual, McGowan has shaped Wavism into a language of its own—a fusion of past and present, vision and sensation.

Featured in:

The Last Soiree, On Wavism and the making of an artist, 2025

Best of PhotoVogue 2023

Exhibitions:

Studio Red, Wavism - Uncovering my artistic signature, 2025

J/M Gallery 2024

Sophie Tea Gallery, Emerging Artists 2023

-

I often receive questions from Art students studying my work, please read these FAQs for more information. Thank you