Katherine Fraser lives in Philadelphia, PA. Her work has been featured in a number of exhibitions around the country. She says: "Life often strikes me as a string of moments, like a series of film stills, in which we observe ourselves. I paint people experiencing these moments of profound self-awareness and growth; when the rest of the world drops away and we are left bare. My paintings have the visceral quality of memories or dreams, when the image is reduced to the essential, and the mood is what draws your focus, not the specific details. My subject matter comes from my own memories and experiences that feel in some way universal. I have found that certain kinds of settings tend to lead people inward, and to me the rural landscape is a nursery for the soul. My memories of growing up in Maine are a great source of inspiration. Though my subjects usually stand alone, I am less interested in loneliness than in the way being alone makes us feel most alive and connected to our true nature."
View all of Katherine Fraser's work.
The people that Katherine Fraser paints are invented characters, created to express a particular feeling. In this face Fraser tried to capture a contradictory impulse. She is beautiful and striking, with a bold, modern hairstyle, but she is basically protected by the shadow of her bangs. She is maintaining her emotional distance, while leaning in towards something. She could possibly be listening in on someone else's conversation, or coyly leaning her ear toward her companion, saying "tell me more."
