Katharina Magdalena Short

"I enjoy the process of storytelling through paint. It makes my heart sing. It makes me deeply content to see another person revel in a shared story for a moment."

Each of Katharina Magdalena Short's paintings tells a small story. She begins with a central character and then allows the story to unfold. Largely self-taught, she paints directly from her imagination, recalling fragments of conversations, stories from the news, or her own dreams. Everyday events are presented with simplicity and honesty that she hopes gives her subjects a universal appeal.

When she is inspired, Short works rather quickly and without overthinking, mostly relying on her instincts for color and composition. Working in acrylic paints allows the medium to dry quickly, which enables her to move an idea from concept to finished piece in a matter of days or weeks. In order to achieve a high color saturation and dramatic layered effect, she builds up pigment layers with glazing mediums and soft or heavy polymer gels.

Katharina Short's travels have taken her around the world, and she draws on the folk artists of places like Thailand, Mexico, Brazil, and Saipan. Their influence can be seen in the saturated colors and narrative quality of many of her works. She also has an affinity for Mexican textiles, and brings their colors and textures to her paintings.