Olivia

Scottish artist Catriona Millar was born and raised in Glasgow, and she studied at Harrogate School of Art in the 1970s before moving to Aberdeen to start a family. It was during a trip to Gray’s School of Art in the 1990s that she decided to apply. Her degree show sold out in hours and her work immediately began receiving a great deal of interest and praise. She has been working full time as an artist ever since and currently resides in Southeast England.

Catriona’s work takes its inspiration from the stories that lie at the heart of the human condition, and the sparkle of a narrative behind the eyes of her subjects hints at everything from longing to melancholy. Her work often juxtaposes human characters with a variety of animal confidants, with some seeming physically present in the composition while others take on a talismanic quality.

Working with a palette knife, Catriona applies thick layers of paint to the canvas creating a surface that draws viewers further into the piece, imbuing her subjects with a tactile quality that seems to further humanise these stylised individuals. Colourful and beguiling, her work is about the connective tissue that defines us, from the stories we tell to the worlds we imagine.