Kate Barker is a British artist based in the South West of England whose work is inspired by a lifelong connection to the natural world. Working across painting, drawing and printmaking, she creates expressive and evocative works that explore the energy, movement and atmosphere of the coastal landscape.
After studying at Exeter College of Art and Design and graduating with a First Class Degree in Textiles from Manchester University, Barker continued her artistic education at the acclaimed Bellas Artes in Valencia, Spain. Extensive travel and periods living and working in India, Africa and Europe have continued to shape her visual language, enriching her palette and deepening her engagement with landscape and place.
A passionate advocate of working en plein air, Barker begins many of her paintings immersed within the environment itself. As an avid surfer, her relationship with the ocean is both physical and emotional, informing works that convey the sea’s rhythm, unpredictability and raw beauty. Through layered surfaces, dynamic mark-making and a combination of painting, drawing and print processes, she creates works that are rich in texture, movement and atmosphere.
Barker’s paintings are both intuitive and immersive, inviting viewers to experience a deeper connection with the natural world.
Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout the UK and Spain, including: Brownston Gallery, Modbury (2025); Borringdon Hall Wellness Suites, Commission (2025-present); REFURB from Salcombe, Interior Design Commissions (2024-2026); Gara Rock Hotel, Artist Residency (2021-2025); The Old Bakery, Solo Exhibition (2018); Monochrome Exhibition, Art for Life, Musgrove Hospital, Taunton, Solo Exhibition (2016); MAKE Southwest (formerly Devon Guild of Craftsmen), Bovey Tracey (2016); South Sands Hotel, Artist Residency (2015-present); Devon Open Studios, Avon Mill, Solo Exhibition (2014); Dart Gallery, Dartmouth (2011-2020); Ainscough Contemporary Gallery, Dartmouth (2010); Harbour House, Kingsbridge (2008); Galleria La Rampa, Vejer de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain, Solo Exhibition (2007); Island Gallery, Salcombe (2006); London Print Studio, Contemporary Prints, London (2005); Guide Me, Bath Fringe Festival (2003); Chelsea Art Fair, London (2002); New Designers, Business Design Centre, London (2001).
